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BV  1520  .B79  1921 
Burroughs,  Prince  Emanuel, 

1871-1948. 
Building  a  succesful  Sunday 

school 


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Building  a  Successful 
Sunday  School 


Building  a  Successful 


Sunday  School 


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By 


P.  E.  BURROUGHS,  D.D. 

Author  of  ''The  Present-Day  Sunday  School,"  "Winning 
to  Christ,"  "  Church  and  Sunday- 
School  BuildingSt'  etc. 


New  York 


Chicago 


Fleming     H.     Revell     Company 


London  and 


£di nburoh 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


Printed  in  U.  S.  A. 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago :  1 7  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh :       75     Princes     Street 


To  My  Wife 
CORINNE  GAYLE  BURROUGHS 


Contents 

I.  What    is    a    Successful    Sunday 

School?       9 

II.  What  a  Successful  Sunday  School 

Will  Do 21 

III.  Organizing  the  Sunday  School  for 

Success 31 

IV.  Securing  Officers  and  Teachers    .      41 

V.  Housing  the  Sunday  School    .        .      46 

VI.  Problems  in  Housing  the  Sunday 

School 57 

VII.  How  TO  Secure  Needed  Housing    .      66 

VIII.  Some    Good    Church   and  Sunday- 

School  Buildings  .        .         .73 

IX.  Remodeling  Present  Buildings       .      82 

X.  Equipment  for  the  Sunday  School      91 

XI.  How  TO  Build  a  Sunday  School      .     100 

XII.  How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School 

(Contmued^    .         .         .         .         .108 

XIII.  Organizations    Which    Help    to 

Build  the  Sunday  School    .        .     114 

XIV.  Social  Life  and  the  Success  of  the 

Sunday  School     .         .         .         .124 

XV.  Recreations  in  the  Building  of  the 

Sunday  School     .        .        .        .136 

7 


8 


Contents 


XVI.  Advertising  the  Sunday  School    .  I4v 

XVII.  The  Teachers*   Meeting  and  the 

Workers'  Council        .        .        .146 

XVIII.  Teacher    Training    Essential    to 

Success 151 

XIX.  Records  in  the  Making  of  a  Suc- 

cessful Sunday  School        .        .155 

XX.  Week-Day  Work  for  the  Sunday 

School          .....  160 

XXI.  What  of  Special  Days  ?  .        .        .  164 

XXII.  Standards  for  the  Sunday  School  169 

XXIII.  The  Combined  Service    .        .        .  173 

XXIV.  Winning  to  Christ  in  the  Sunday 

School 178 

Appendix:  Suggested  Questions    .  186 


WHAT  IS  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL? 

A  LITTLE  Sunday  school  in  a  small  town 
down  in  Mississippi  has  a  limited  constit- 
uency and  a  narrow  outlook.  The  school 
has  poor  equipment  and  has  never  made  claim  to 
superior  methods  or  approved  forms  of  organiza- 
tion. But  this  little  Sunday  school  is  presided  over 
by  a  devout  Bible-loving  man  who  gathers  to  his 
support  reverent  and  faithful  teachers.  The  school 
is  marked  by  an  atmosphere  of  reverence  and  has 
long  been  distinctly  evangelistic  and  markedly  mis- 
sionary. A  half  dozen  preachers  have  come  out  of 
this  Sunday  school  and  the  school  has  produced  a 
number  of  earnest  missionaries.  Is  this  a  successful 
Sunday  school?  -. 

No  one  can  claim  that  this  little  Mississippi  Sun- 
day school  is  an  unqualified  success.  When  its  pu- 
pils entered  the  ministry  and  went  away  to  the  theo- 
logical seminary  they  were  surprised  and  even  pained 
to  find  that  their  knowledge  of  the  Bible  was  frag- 
mentary and  superficial.  They  knew  practically 
nothing  of  PauFs  missionary  journeys;  they  could 
not  trace  the  travels  of  Abraham;  they  had  no  con- 
nected view  of  the  life  of  our  Lord ;  they  knew  little 

9 


lO  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

of  the  Messianic  prophecies  recorded  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  fulfilled  in  the  New  Testament. 
Measured  by  the  Bible  knowledge  which  it  had  im- 
parted through  the  long  receptive  years  that  little 
Sunday  school  had  all  but  failed.  Measured  by  the 
type  of  character  produced  and  by  the  finer  spiritual 
fruitage,  that  Sunday  school  was  a  marked  success. 
While  it  did  some  things  in  glorious  fashion,  it  failed 
at  certain  other  important  points.  It  was  a  suc- 
cessful Sunday  school,  but  its  success  was  partial. 
It  did  much,  but  it  could  have  done  much  more. 

A  country  Sunday  school  in  Kentucky  maintained 
for  many  years  a  high  standard  of  spiritual  effi- 
ciency and  was   blessed  with   remarkable   spiritual 

fruits.    Mr.  J served  as  superintendent  and  by 

his  quiet  devout  bearing  and  deep  piety  gave  to  the 
school  an  atmosphere  of  reverence  which  left  its  last- 
ing impress  on  the  young  life  of  the  community. 
From  that  Sunday  school  there  went  out  a  long  line 
of  consecrated  believing  men  and  women,  preachers, 
missionaries.  Christian  workers,  faithful  souls  who 
have  ever  since  called  that  little  Sunday  school 
blessed. 

Was  this  a  successful  Sunday  school?  Without 
doubt  It  bore  worthy  fruit  in  its  chosen  realm  and 
thus  achieved  a  measure  of  success.  Considering  its 
limitations,  it  produced  really  wonderful  results.  Its 
pupils  were  imbued  with  reverence;  they  were 
brought  early  to  accept  Christ  Jesus  as  Lord  and 
Saviour;  they  were  deeply  taught  in  the  practical, 
moral  and  spiritual  things  of  life.  In  the  light  of 
modern  Sunday-school  development,  it  is  easy  to  see 


What  is  a  Successful  Sunday  School?     il 

that  that  Sunday  school  might  have  gone  further 
and  done  more  for  its  pupils.  It  might  have  offered 
them  such  fuller  instruction  and  such  wider  training 
as  would  have  afforded  a  stronger  foundation  and  a 
more  enduring  usefulness.  And  yet  who  will  say 
that  this  was  not  a  successful  Sunday  school? 

It  is  not  easy  to  define  a  successful  Sunday  school. 
It  is  not  easy  to  indicate  the  many  elements  which 
go  to  make  for  success.  Without  undertaking  an 
exhaustive  statement,  it  may  suffice  to  say  that  the 
Sunday  school  which  lays  claim  to  success  must  do 
two  things:  (i)  it  must  reach  its  constituency;  (2) 
it  must  teach  its  constituency. 

A  Sunday  school,  then,  in  order  to  be  considered 
in  any  sense  successful  must  do  these  two  things — it 
must  reach  the  people  and  it  must  teach  the  people. 
It  can  hardly  be  said  that  one  of  these  things  is  more 
important  than  the  other,  since  they  are  inter-de- 
pendent. We  cannot  teach  people  unless  we  reach 
them;  when  we  reach  people  we  will  almost  cer- 
tainly teach  them.  A  successful  Sunday  school 
therefore  is  a  school  which  reaches  and  teaches  its 
constituency.  Mere  bigness  does  not  in  itself  consti- 
tute a  successful  Sunday  school.  But  no  Sunday 
school  can  be  considered  successful  which  is  not 
fairly  reaching  its  constituency. 

Mere  bigness  in  numbers  does  not  constitute  a 
really  big  Sunday  school.  A  Sunday  school  with  a 
large  enrollment  and  a  large  average  attendance  may 
be  essentially  a  little  Sunday  school.  A  Sunday 
school  with  a  small  enrollment  and  a  limited  at- 
tendance may  be  essentially  a  big  Sunday  school. 


12  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

The  church  which  with  a  membership  of  2,000  in  the 
midst  of  a  dense  population  offering  almost  unlim- 
ited possibilities  has  a  Sunday  school  numbering 
1,000  probably  has  a  little  Sunday  school.  The 
church  which  has  a  membership  of  one  hundred  in 
the  midst  of  a  sparse  population  in  which  several 
churches  are  making  claims  and  yet  has  a  Sunday 
school  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  probably  has  a  big 
Sunday  school. 

Any  Sunday  school  which,  knowing  fully  its  con- 
stituency and  its  obligations  and  clearly  defining  its 
possibilities,  is  fairly  reaching  its  possibilities,  is  in 
so  far  a  successful  Sunday  school.  "  Possibilities  "  ! 
The  word  is  full  of  significance.  It  constitutes  a 
challenge.  The  word  has  come  into  frequent  use 
and  has  taken  unto  itself  a  definite  meaning  among 
aggressive  Sunday-school  workers.  Its  very  defi- 
niteness  marks  the  passage  of  Sunday-school  effort 
from  the  realm  of  the  vague  to  the  realm  of  intelli- 
gent system. 

"  Mr.  Superintendent,  what  are  the  possibilities  of 
your  school;  how  large  ought  your  school  to  be; 
what  membership  is  it  possible  for  you  to  attain?" 
We  know  many  superintendents  who  will  answer, 
'not  with  a  guess  nor  an  estimate,  but  who  can  im- 
mediately state  the  possibilities  of  their  school,  the 
numbers  which  they  might  have  in  each  department. 
They  have  not  simply  the  numbers,  but  the  individual 
addresses  of  all  on  whom  they  have  claim  or  for 
whom  they  may  be  properly  responsible.  Just  as 
the  life  insurance  agent  has  an  accurate  list  of  his 
"'possibilities,"  just  as  the  enterprising  real  estate 


What  is  a  Successful  Sunday  School?     13 

man  knows  by  name  and  address  his  "prospects," 
so  the  efficient  superintendent  knows  the  people  upon 
whom  his  school  may  lay  claim.  The  "  possibilities  " 
of  any  Sunday  school  measure  the  responsibility  and 
the  opportunity  of  that  school.  No  school  which  has 
not  taken  pains  to  know  its  possibilities  and  which 
fails  to  take  definite  and  intelligent  steps  to  reach  its 
largest  possible  attendance,  can  be  called  a  success- 
ful Sunday  school.  No  claims  of  quality  in  work 
done,  no  claims  of  educational  achievements,  no 
other  accomplishments,  can  offset  or  atone  for  fail- 
ure at  this  point.  No  school  has  a  right  to  be  a 
little  school.  No  superintendent  has  a  right  to  have 
a  little  school. 

A  big  Sunday  school!  A  school  which  however 
small  in  numbers,  however  meager  in  attendance,  is 
yet  reasonably  reaching  its  possibilities;  a  school  in- 
stinct with  the  missionary  spirit,  an  aggressive 
school,  a  school  which  is  sounding  the  conquering 
note,  a  school  whose  parish  is  the  world!  Such  a 
school  is  essentially  big.  Such  a  school,  big  as  meas- 
ured not  by  mere  numbers,  but  by  worthy  spirit  and 
by  worthy  achievement  in  reaching  and  teaching  and 
enlisting  its  real  constituency,  such  a  school  surely  is 
the  goal  of  every  pastor  and  superintendent  and 
teacher.  To  be  content  with  anything  short  of  this 
is  to  condemn  ourselves  of  sloth  and  indifference  in 
a  cause  which  ought  to  challenge  the  best  that  is 
within  us. 

We  enter  no  plea  for  mere  bigness ;  mere  bigness 
may  represent  the  last  word  in  real  littleness.  We 
have  scant  sympathy  with  the  nervous  anxiety  of 


\y 


i4  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

would-be  conservatives,  of  self-conscious  and  self- 
appointed  critics  w^lio  continually  warn  us  against 
the  perils  of  numbers.  They  have  told  us  with  a 
grave  air  that  the  Book  of  Numbers  is  not  the  only 
inspired  book  in  the  Bible  and  that  this  Book  of 
Numbers  is  not  the  most  valuable  of  Scripture  writ- 
ings !  They  insist,  and  very  properly,  that  the  Sun- 
day school  is  a  school,  that  it  is  primarily  an  educa- 
tional institution;  they  go  further  and  declare  that 
it  is  repugnant  to  the  mission  and  the  essential  na- 
ture of  the  institution  to  measure  it  by  mere  num- 
bers. In  all  of  which  and  so  far  they  are  quite  right. 
The  Sunday  school  is  a  school,  but  this  does  not 
mean  that  it  is  like  other  schools.  It  is  a  school,  but 
in  its  mission,  in  its  text-book,  in  its  essential  nature, 
it  stands  alone  among  schools.  It  is  the  Bible  school, 
the  school  of  the  church,  the  school  of  Christ;  it  is 
essentially  missionary  in  its  purpose,  as  essentially 
missionary  as  the  church  itself.  It  must  be  aggres- 
sive if  it  will  rightly  represent  that  Saviour  whose 
parting  word  of  command  was  that  we  should  go 
into  all  the  world  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations. 

We  know  two  Sunday-school  superintendents  who 
fairly  represent  two  extreme  conceptions  of  the  Sun- 
day school.  One  of  these  men  is  a  trained  and  suc- 
cessful educator.  He  has  studied  the  philosophy 
and  the  history  of  education ;  he  is  a  master  of  psy- 
chology and  feels  a  just  pride  in  his  standing  and 
achievements  in  the  educational  world.  He  runs  his 
Sunday  school  primarily  as  a  school.  He  discour- 
ages enthusiasm  and  makes  light  of  emotion.  He 
measures  all  methods  and  all  processes  by  educa- 


What  is  a  Successful  Sunday  School  1     15 

tional  standards.  His  final  test  is  the  deposit  of  in- 
formation which  his  teachers  have  left  with  their 
pupils.  His  school  is  dignified,  but  small;  it  con- 
fines itself  largely  to  effort  in  behalf  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  its  own  church  membership.  Meas- 
ured by  ordinary  educational  standards,  the  school 
is  successful;  measured  by  its  vital  moral  and  re- 
ligious and  evangelistic  fruitage — well,  one  may  in- 
dulge serious  questions,  but  one  would  hesitate  to 
speak  dogmatically  in  this  realm.  The  other  super- 
intendent is  by  nature  and  training  a  promoter;  he 
could  put  over  a  big  real  estate  development  or  put 
on  the  map  a  newly  organized  insurance  company. 
He  is  strong  on  promotion  and  is  unexcelled  when 
it  comes  to  arousing  popular  interest.  All  of  his 
fine  powers  of  exploitation,  his  keen  sense  of  adver- 
tising values,  his  ability  to  kindle  popular  enthusi- 
asm, these  fine  abilities  he  uses  freely  in  the  conduct 
of  his  Sunday  school.  The  result  can  easily  be  im- 
agined. His  school  is  large  in  numbers,  full  of  en- 
thusiasm and  much  in  the  limelight.  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  its  permanent  fruits  are  not  so  abundant 
or  substantial  as  they  might  be. 

Neither  of  these  superintendents  approximates  the 
ideal.  Yet  each  of  them  is  useful  and  each  leads  a 
band  of  teachers  whose  loving  and  loyal  service  must 
bear  abundant  fruit.  Happily  a  superintendent  does 
not  require  to  be  ideal,  or  nearly  so,  in  order  to  be 
useful.  These  two  superintendents  are  neighbours 
and  they  are  good  friends;  but  they  do  not  over- 
admire  each  other  as  superintendents.  Indeed,  if 
each  could  know  what  the  other  thinks  and  says  of 


l6  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

him  as  a  superintendent,  their  relations  might  be 
strained.  The  "  educational "  superintendent  is 
very  sure  that  the  "promoter"  superintendent  is 
lowering  the  whole  Sunday-school  standard  and 
substituting  "moonshine"  and  "pop-corn"  for 
more  substantial  things.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
superintendent  with  the  gifts  of  the  promoter  ex- 
hausts the  resources  of  his  vocabulary  in  the  effort 
to  describe  the  dullness  and  stupidity  of  the  methods 
and  policies  presented  by  his  neighbour. 

It  is  easy  to  make  light  of  "mere  bigness."  Big 
Sunday  schools  are  of  course  not  necessarily  the  best 
Sunday  schools.  The  Sunday  school  is  a  missionary 
and  educational  and  evangelistic  institution;  it  is  re- 
pugnant to  its  very  nature  to  measure  it  by  mere 
numbers.  It  is  a  school  of  religion,  or  better,  it  is  a 
school  of  Christianity,  dealing  with  the  deepest 
things  of  God  and  the  soul;  it  may  not  be  estimated 
alone  by  its  bulk. 

All  of  this  and  much  more  we  may  say ;  but  after 
all  is  said,  the  fact  stands  out  as  clear  as  day,  that  we 
cannot  teach  people  until  we  reach  them ;  we  cannot 
influence  people  through  the  Sunday  school  in  the 
things  of  God  and  the  soul  until  we  bring  them  into 
the  Sunday  school.  It  is  also  as  clear  as  day  that  the 
people  who  most  deeply  need  our  Sunday-school  in- 
struction are  not  the  people  who  will,  left  to  them- 
selves, attend,  but  are  the  people  who  must  be  some- 
how induced  to  attend. 

It  can  hardly  be  said  that  enlarging  numbers,  or 
the  efforts  necessary  to  bring  them  in,  constitute  any 
barrier  to  educational,  or  religious,  or  evangelistic 


What  is  a  Successful  Sunday  School  ?     1 7 

accomplishments.  It  may  be  seriously  questioned 
whether  better  educational  and  evangelistic  fruits 
are  borne,  or  more  abiding  religious  results  achieved, 
in  little  Sunday  schools  than  in  larger  Sunday 
schools.  Poor  work  and  meager  results  may  mark 
little  as  well  as  big  schools. 

One  would  be  inclined  to  think  that  the  same 
energy  and  intelligence  which  make  a  Sunday  school 
large  in  attendance  would  tend  also  to  make  it  effi- 
cient and  fruitful.  Would  not  the  apathy  and  in- 
difference which  account  for  small  numbers  be  re- 
flected in  all  the  service  rendered  by  the  school? 
Generally  speaking,  little  stores  are  hardly  the  most 
efficient  or  the  best  conducted  stores;  little  railroads 
have  not  won  special  distinction  for  their  efficiency; 
little  educational  institutions  cannot  in  our  day 
justly  claim  superiority  over  those  which  number  their 
students  into  the  thousands.  If  one  were  in  quest 
of  inspiring  ideals  and  stirring  achievements  in  Sun- 
day-school work,  he  would  not  seek  out  little  schools, 
though  in  these  he  might  find  much  to  commend. 
There  is  no  necessary  antagonism  between  growth  in 
numbers  and  efficiency  in  service.  These  ought  to 
go  hand  in  hand,  each  supplementing  and  augmenting 
the  other.  Certain  it  is  that  the  Sunday  school 
which  lacks  the  aggressive  spirit,  which  is  content 
with  the  numbers  which  it  can  attain  without  special 
missionary  eff'ort,  is  lacking  in  certain  essential  ele- 
ments which  characterized  our  Lord  and  His 
apostles. 

We  have  said  that  the  Sunday  school  is  educa- 
tional and  religious  in  its  aim;  it  is  more  than  that, 


i8  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

it  is  missionary.  This  school  constitutes  a  wing  of 
the  conquering  army  which  is  to  bring  this  world 
under  the  sway  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  school  is  not 
only  to  be  missionary;  it  is  to  be  evangelistic.  It  is 
an  institution  conducted  in  His  name  who  gathered 
unprecedented  multitudes  to  His  teaching  ministry. 
Socrates,  Plato  and  others  devoted  their  teaching 
ministry  to  the  select  few;  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as- 
sembled and  taught  the  multitudes. 

The  one  unanswerable  argument  in  favour  of  the 
largest  Sunday  school  possible  lies  here.  So  long  as 
the  school  is  little,  it  ministers  to  those  who  least 
need  its  ministry,  to  the  children  of  the  pastor,  the 
superintendent,  the  teachers,  the  people  who  in  all 
probability  will  in  any  case  not  leave  their  sons  and 
daughters  wholly  without  religious  instruction.  As 
the  numbers  in  the  Sunday  school  increase,  the  need 
of  those  reached  increases  in  proportion.  Fre- 
quently the  Sunday  school  with  two  hundred  mem- 
bers which  adds  one  hundred  to  its  membership  will 
actually  double  its  evangelistic  opportunity.  A  Sun- 
day school  had  five  hundred  members  consisting  al- 
most wholly  of  believers  and  children  who  came  from 
Christian  homes.  This  school  went  afield  in  an 
aggressive  campaign  and  brought  in  two  hundred 
new  members.  A  new  day  dawned  for  that  school ; 
it  fairly  tingled  with  life;  the  spirit  of  evangelism 
became  rife  as  it  faced  its  new  evangelistic  challenge 
and  opportunity. 

It  is  thus  easy  to  see  that  involved  in  the  question 
which  we  are  considering  is  the  larger  question  of 
our  interpretation  of  the  mission  and  spirit  of  the 


What  is  a  Successful  Sunday  School  *?     1 9 

church,  of  the  attitude  which  the  church  shall  as- 
sume toward  the  outlying  masses.  The  Sunday 
school  is  no  longer  to  be  considered  as  an  institution 
apart  from  the  church;  it  is  not  even  to  be  thought  of 
merely  as  a  school  in  which  the  church  may  instruct 
its  children  with  a  view  to  future  membership.  The 
Sunday  school  is  the  church  engaged  in  vital  phases 
of  its  work;  it  is  a  school,  but  we  are  not  to  forget 
that  it  is  a  Sunday  school.  Measured  by  its  deposit 
of  instruction,  the  Sunday  school  can  never  hold  high 
rank  among  educational  institutions.  It  assembles 
on  God's  holy  day,  it  meets  in  God's  house,  it  studies 
God's  book,  it  has  the  peculiar  promise  of  God's  il- 
luminating Spirit,  it  is  led  and  served  by  devout  men 
and  women  who  come  to  its  session  from  their  knees. 
This  school  sends  its  light  and  warmth  down  through 
all  the  week-days.  It  permeates  with  its  sacred  in- 
fluence all  other  schools  and  lends  a  blessing  to  all 
the  days  of  the  week.  By  every  holy  consideration 
we  are  bound  to  extend  its  appeal  and  influence  as 
widely  as  may  be.  This  school,  let  us  say  it  again, 
is  evangelistic  and  missionary  as  well  as  educational. 
It  is  educational  in  order  that  it  may  be  in  the  best 
sense  missionary. 

We  live  in  a  day  of  large  Sunday  schools.  It  is 
easy  to  see  that  this  development  is  only  in  its  be- 
ginnings. We  have  long  had  a  few  outstanding 
schools  which,  by  their  numbers  and  their  efficiency, 
commanded  wide  attention.  Sunday  schools,  large 
in  numbers  and  great  in  spiritual  power,  are  now  to 
be  found  in  all  of  the  states.  As  is  to  be  expected, 
they  may  be  found  in  most,  of  the  larger  centers ;  but 


20  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

they  may  also  be  found  in  increasing  numbers  in  the 
towns  and  villages  and  even  in  the  country.  We 
know  schools  which,  including  the  Home  Depart- 
ment and  the  Cradle  Roll,  have  upwards  of  five  thou- 
sand enrolled;  it  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  of  schools 
which  have  a  regular  attendance  of  two  thousand  or 
more.  Schools  with  an  actual  attendance  of  one 
thousand  are  now  so  common  that  they  cease  to  at- 
tract special  attention.  We  are  tempted  to  give  a  list 
of  some  churches  which  maintain  really  large  Sun- 
day schools;  it  is  hardly  advisable.  Developments 
are  so  rapid  that  such  a  list  would  not  be  worth 
while  in  any  permanent  record.  One's  heart  must 
beat  fast  and  he  must  feel  a  sense  of  thrill  as  he 
contemplates  the  possible  developments  of  the  next 
ten  and  twenty  years. 

A  successful  Sunday  school,  then,  is  a  school 
which  is  reaching  and  really  blessing  its  normal  con- 
stituency; a  school  which,  aggressive  in  its  extension 
efforts,  at  the  same  time  maintains  a  high  spirit  of 
reverence  and  patiently  and  painstakingly  teaches  the 
Word  of  Jehovah  with  a  view  to  the  salvation  of 
the  lost  and  to  the  best  and  broadest  development  of 
character  and  the  finest  culture  of  the  spiritual  life. 
In  the  pages  which  follow  we  seek  to  point  the  way 
to  such  a  Sunday  school. 


II 

WHAT  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL  WILL  DO 

IN  the  preceding  chapter,  we  have  seen  that  the 
successful  Sunday  school  is  one  which  has 
numbers  in  real  proportion  to  its  possibilities 
and  which  is  doing  genuine  educational  and  evangel- 
istic work;  in  a  word,  the  successful  Sunday  school 
is  the  practically  efficient  Sunday  school.  Such  Sun- 
day schools  make  great  churches ;  there  is  nothing  in 
the  whole  domain  of  Christianity  which  is  not 
touched  and  influenced  by  such  a  Sunday  school. 

Efficient  Sunday  schools  grow  great  churches  and 
build  great  church  life.  A  brilliant  pulpit  figure,  like 
T.  De  Witt  Talmage,  may  gather  large  congrega- 
tions and  there  may  be  all  the  appearances  of  a 
great  church.  But,  if  there  is  lacking  the  founda- 
tion work  of  faithful  religious  instruction  and  the 
persistent  care  and  training  of  childhood  and  youth, 
the  apparently  great  church  will  go  the  way  of  the 
lamented  Brooklyn  Church  to  which  Dr.  Talmage 
so  ably  ministered.  Great  Sunday  schools  make 
great  churches.  There  is  really  no  other  way  to 
build  great  churches,  save  by  worthy  teaching  and 
training  processes  such  as  are  maintained  in  the  Sun- 
day school.  This  method  cannot  fail.  This  educa- 
tional method  was  the   means   used  by   the   great 

21 


22  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Teacher  in  founding  His  earthly  kingdom.  It  was 
used  by  Paul  in  the  early  extension  of  that  kingdom. 
It  has  been  used  in  every  aggressive  forv^ard  move- 
ment v^hich  has  marked  the  development  of  that 
kingdom. 

The  above  statement  is  amply  illustrated  and  justi- 
fied by  the  experience  of  the  past  hundred  years  of 
foreign  mission  endeavour.  The  earlier  foreign  mis- 
sion efforts  ran  along  lines  of  evangelism  and  en- 
listment. Approach  v^as  made  to  adults.  Children 
v^ere  overlooked  and  educational  processes  wevQ 
slighted.  Apparently  large  progress  was  made  on 
many  fields.  Gradually  it  became  painfully  appar- 
ent that  the  results  were  not  stable  and  that  the 
progress  was  more  apparent  than  real.  The  better 
wisdom  prevailed,  and  the  missionaries  abroad  and 
their  supporters  at  home  turned  their  attention  to 
the  New  Testament  method  of  patient  teaching. 
Schools  of  all  kinds,  including  of  course  Bible 
schools,  began  to  be  established  and  an  era  of  real 
advance  and  stable  progress  was  inaugurated. 

By  as  much  as  the  Sunday  school  makes  for  ef- 
ficiency in  the  local  church,  it  also  makes  for  effect- 
iveness in  the  denomination.  The  Methodist 
Church  has  the  largest  Sunday-school  constituency 
in  America.  A  leader  in  that  church,  now  an  hon- 
oured bishop,  has  said:  "  If  the  Sunday  school  were 
to  go  out  of  business,  the  Methodist  Church  would  be 
cut  in  half  in  fifteen  years.  In  thirty  years  the 
Methodist  Church  would  for  all  practical  purposes 
cease  to  exist."  There  can  be  no  surer  evidence  of 
the  indispensable  service  of  the  Sunday  school  than 


What  a  Successful  School  Will  Do       23 

is  to  be  seen  in  the  aggregate  of  capital  and  brains 
with  which  the  great  Christian  denominations  are 
seeking  to  promote  Sunday-school  work. 

Efficient  churches  are  buiU  by  great  Sunday 
schools.  Great  and  efficient  churches  are  not  built 
save  by  efficient  teaching  and  character-building  proc- 
esses. Outstanding  churches  come  to  mind  in  this 
connection,  too  numerous  to  mention.  The  Calvary 
Baptist  Church,  Washington,  D.  C,  the  Bushwick 
Avenue  Methodist  Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  Dallas,  Texas,  the  First  Meth- 
odist Church,  Memphis,  Tenn., — but  a  complete  list 
would  include  practically  every  really  great  church 
in  the  whole  country.  While  the  churches  named 
above  have  enjoyed  the  ministry  of  almost  incom- 
parable pastors,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  they 
very  largely  owe  their  success  and  their  eminence  to 
the  quiet  persistent  influence  of  their  efficiently  con- 
ducted Sunday  schools. 

Our  statement  that  churches  are  made  great  by 
efficient  Sunday  schools  will  probably  be  in  itself 
convincing.  It  would  hardly  seem  to  need  argument 
or  illustration.  We  indicate  briefly  some  considera- 
tions upon  which  we  base  the  statement. 

I.  The  Sunday  school  offers  a  complete  and  ef- 
fective method  of  church  organization.  A  properly 
organized  Sunday  school,  reaching  and  teaching  and 
otherwise  ministering  to  its  normal  possibilities, 
means  a  well-organized  church.  The  eight  or  nine 
departments  of  the  Sunday  school,  vigorously  man- 
aged, may  touch  helpfully  and  constantly  every  in- 
dividual in  the  whole  constituency  of  the  church. 


24  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

both  members  and  non-members.  No  individual, 
from  the  infant  in  arms  to  the  aged  shut-in,  no  in- 
dividual whether  able  to  attend  the  pulpit  ministries 
of  the  church  or  not,  can  escape  the  wide-extended 
net  of  the  well-organized  Sunday  school.  The  de- 
partment superintendents  with  their  several  corps  of 
helpers  constitute  a  unique  and  always-ready  force 
for  teaching,  for  ministering,  or  for  enlistment  in 
practical  service.  Nothing  of  moment  can  escape  so 
complete  an  organization.  Is  it  sudden  disaster,  a 
death,  an  accident,  a  financial  crash  ?  Is  it  a  favour- 
ing fortune,  the  coming  of  a  babe,  glad  tidings  from 
a  distant  land,  narrow  escape  from  calamity?  Is  it 
the  pain  of  lingering  illness,  the  weakness  of  life's 
decline,  the  loneliness  incident  to  a  new  environ- 
ment ?  It  matters  not ;  the  efficiently  organized  Sun- 
day school  will  be  in  line  to  minister. 

Ever>^  faithful  pastor  knows  that  a  chief  burden 
on  his  heart  is  his  own  failure,  and  the  failure  of 
his  church,  to  function  properly  in  practical  minis- 
tries. He  has  perhaps  the  haunting  feeling  that 
hearts  here  and  there  are  sore  from  neglect.  He  is 
occasionally  startled  and  grieved  to  learn  that  some 
good  but  perhaps  obscure  man  has  passed  through 
dire  trial  and  is  grieved  because  the  pastor  and  the 
church  did  not  come  near  in  his  time  of  need.  Some 
sister  has  received  news  of  the  tragic  death  of  a  son 
in  a  distant  state  and  the  pastor  and  his  members 
have  failed  to  show  sympathy;  the  woman  is,  of 
course,  deeply  grieved,  but  later  when  the  pastor 
learns  concerning  the  situation,  he  is  even  more 
deeply  grieved.    And  thus  on  and  on  the  pastor  feels 


What  a  Successful  School  Will  Do       25 

uneasiness  and  bears  distress  because  his  church  or- 
ganization fails  to  function  properly.  Such  failure 
is  practically  impossible  with  a  well-organized  Sun- 
day school.  In  case  of  failure,  it  is  easy  to  locate 
the  responsibility,  and  the  faithful  pastor  may  spare 
himself  the  blame. 

The  practical  possibilities  of  the  simple  workable 
organization  afforded  by  the  organized  Sunday 
school  are  all  but  limitless.  They  are  becoming 
more  and  more  fully  appreciated  as  they  find  dem- 
onstration in  many  places.  Not  in  all  the  history  of 
Christian  effort  and  church  development  has  any 
other  organization  approximated  this  in  complete- 
ness and  effectiveness  of  service. 

This  is  not  mere  theory.  The  practical  value  of 
the  thorough  effective  organization  offered  by  the 
modern  Sunday  school  has  been  demonstrated  in 
every  part  of  the  land.  The  well-organized  church 
is  the  church  which  has  a  complete  and  aggressive 
Sunday-school  organization.  Pastors  bear  grateful 
testimony  to  this  fact.  Future  students  of  church 
efficiency  and  organization  will  give  primary  atten- 
tion to  the  Sunday  school.  The  largest  Protestant 
theological  Seminary  in  America,  The  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky.,  has, 
in  recognition  of  this,  established  a  chair  of  "  Church 
Efficiency  and  Sunday-School  Pedagogy,"  thus  link- 
ing the  Sunday  school  directly  with  the  problems  of 
church  efficiency. 

2.  The  Sunday  school  is  the  chief  agency  of  the 
church  for  the  promotion  of  Bible  study.  Apart 
from  the  Sunday  school,  how  much  Bible  reading 


26  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

and  study  would  there  be  among  our  people  ?  If  the 
Sunday  school  should  go  out  of  existence,  how  much 
Bible  study  would  we  have  ?  Many  would  read  their 
Bibles;  how  many  would  study  them?  The  Sunday 
school  offers  the  only  practicable  effective  means  of 
promoting  popular  Bible  study  and  of  growing  Bible 
scholars  among  the  people. 

The  ministry  of  the  pulpit  is  not  intended  to  im- 
part accurate  detailed  Bible  knowledge.  This  min- 
istry rather  assumes  a  measure  of  Bible  knowledge 
and  bases  its  appeal  and  admonition  on  such  assump- 
tion. The  teacher  of  the  Bible  normally  comes  be- 
fore the  preacher  of  the  gospel.  The  preacher  as- 
sumes the  teacher;  he  takes  for  granted  the  instruc- 
tion given  in  the  Sunday  school.  The  effectiveness 
of  the  pastor's  pulpit  ministry  must  depend  upon  the 
faithfulness  of  the  teacher. 

Since  the  Sunday  school  constitutes  the  only  gen- 
eral and  effective  method  of  promoting  wide-spread 
Bible  study,  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  that  the  Sunday 
school  is  the  real  hope  for  the  present  and  future 
greatness  of  the  church. 

3.  The  Sunday  school  offers  a  means  of  enlisting 
a  large  number  of  people  in  useful  service.  Officers 
are  needed  for  the  school  and  for  each  department, 
teachers  and  substitute  teachers  are  called  for,  vis- 
itors and  other  helpers  are  needed,  workers  with 
talent  for  leadership  in  socials,  plays  and  entertain- 
ments are  in  demand,  while  a  company  of  helpers 
skilled  in  preparing  lunches,  suppers  and  banquets 
is  indispensable;  the  need  for  workers  and  the  pos- 
sibilities of  enlistment  through  the  Sunday  school  are 


What  a  Successful  School  Will  Do      27 

all  but  limitless.  Many  Sunday  schools  are  now 
employing  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  regu- 
lar workers,  besides  a  variable  number  for  special 
tasks.  This  utilizing  of  talent,  this  enlistment  of 
workers  must,  even  apart  from  the  direct  service 
which  they  render,  contribute  largely  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  churches.  Our  people  grow  through 
serving,  and  this  institution  which  offers  endless  va- 
rieties of  service  must  be  a  chief  means  of  church 
growth. 

4.  By  as  much  as  the  Sunday  school  enlists  large 
numbers  in  practical  Christian  service  by  so  much  it 
offers  training  in  Bible  study  and  equipment  for 
practical  usefulness.  Successive  generations  of 
young  people  are  each  year  coming  to  the  threshold 
of  the  larger  life.  It  has  long  been  a  matter  of  deep 
concern  in  the  churches  that  these  youths  shall  be 
trained  for  the  duties  and  privileges  of  the  Christian 
life. 

Our  young  peoples'  societies  are  rendering  excel- 
lent service  in  training  our  young  people.  The 
range  of  service  in  which  these  societies  can  offer 
training  is,  however,  necessarily  limited.  The  train- 
ing ordinarily  afforded  in  the  Christian  Endeavour, 
the  Young  Peoples'  Union  or  the  Epworth  League 
ought  to  be  supplemented  by  the  training  which 
Sunday-school  effort  offers  In  such  variety  and 
abundance.  The  successful  Sunday  school  calls  Im- 
peratively and  constantly  for  many  types  of  practical 
service,  much  of  which  can  be  best  rendered  by  our 
young  people  and  some  of  which  they  alone  are  In 
position  to  offer.     Canvassers  are  needed,   records 


28  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

must  be  made  and  kept,  multigraph  letters  must  be 
written,  the  indiiferent  must  be  visited,  the  sick  must 
be  cared  for,  the  poor  must  be  remembered,  the  err- 
ing must  be  sought,  hospitals  must  be  brightened — 
but  the  list  goes  on  and  on — indeed  is  there  any 
practical  form  of  Christian  or  humane  service  which 
does  not  fall  within  the  pale  of  the  Sunday  school? 
The  Sunday  school  is  not  in  its  ultimate  purpose 
merely  a  training  camp  or  a  drill  ground.  And  yet 
in  its  practical  working  out,  it  is  both  training  camp 
and  drill  ground,  probably  the  best  ever  offered  for 
our  youths. 

Along  with  our  young  peoples'  societies,  the  Sun- 
day school  must  thus  be  a  chief  means  of  raising  up 
Christian  workers,  ministers,  missionaries  and  Chris- 
tian leaders.  A  vigorous  Sunday-school  program 
will  call  out  unsuspected  abilities,  will  enlist  and 
thus  save  from  possible  peril  much  talent,  will  dis- 
cover and  train  those  whom  the  Master  has  ordained 
to  high  tasks  of  service  and  leadership.  As  the 
pastor  looks  over  his  field,  as  the  superintendent  con- 
siders and  prays  for  his  school,  let  it  not  be  over- 
looked that  out  of  this  institution  and  from  its  ac- 
tivities must  come  practically  all  of  the  pastors, 
superintendents,  missionaries,  and  other  workers  in 
all  departments  of  Christian  endeavour. 

5.  A  successful  Sunday  school  almost  certainly 
means  large  congregations.  There  are  possible  excep- 
tions. In  a  general  ministry  among  the  churches  ex- 
tending over  many  years  and  covering  many  states, 
the  author  has  yet  to  find  an  exception.  The  churches 
everywhere  which  maintain  a  large  Sunday-school 


What  a  Successful  School  Will  Do       29 

attendance  are  blessed  with  a  gratifying  attendance 
upon  their  preaching  services.  This  question  which 
seems  just  now  timely  and  interesting,  will  be  dis- 
cussed more  at  length  in  a  later  chapter. 

We  need  not  extend  our  discussion  except  to  say 
that  the  successful  Sunday  school  insures  that  the 
preaching  ministry  of  the  church  will  be  properly 
and  scripturally  supplemented  by  a  corresponding 
teaching  ministry.  Neither  the  teaching  nor  the 
preaching  of  the  Word  is  sufficient  in  itself.  The 
teacher  must  be  supplemented  by  the  preacher  and 
the  preacher  is  ineffective  without  the  teacher.  This 
is  emphasized  in  the  practice  and  the  precepts  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  and  His  apostles.  It  is  based  in  the  na- 
ture of  things.  A  large  and  efficient  Sunday  school 
is  required  to  fill  out  the  proper  ministry  of  the 
church  and  to  round  out  the  best  efficiency  of  the 
preacher. 

6.  Crowning  all  that  we  have  said,  the  Sunday 
school  is  the  prime  evangelistic  agency.  When 
evangelism  declines  in  the  Stmday  school,  evan- 
gelism sets  its  face  toward  the  open  door  of  depar- 
ture from  the  church.  A  proper  evangelism  finds  its 
roots  and  has  its  vital  growth  in  the  Sunday  school. 

The  Sunday  school  offers  the  easy  and  natural 
means  of  bringing  children  and  young  people  to  an 
acceptance  and  confession  of  Christ  Jesus  as 
Saviour.  The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  Each  de- 
partmental group  offers  distinct  opportunity  for 
adapted  evangelistic  teaching.  The  graded  lessons 
which  are  now  increasingly  popular  carry  just  the 
word  concerning  the  message  and  appeal   of  the 


30  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Christ  which  is  needed  at  successive  life  stages.  A 
Sunday-school  assembly  with  its  various  officers  and 
teachers  gathered  for  evangelism  must  in  some 
measure  resemble  that  gathering  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost when  the  plea  of  the  apostles  was  faithfully 
seconded  by  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  disciples 
who  doubtless  mingled  with  the  multitudes  and  bore 
personal  witness  to  the  lost. 

But  the  Sunday  school  does  more  than  merely 
open  the  way  for  the  winning  of  children  and  young 
people.  It  opens  the  way  for  approach  to  men  and 
women,  especially  fathers  and  mothers.  It  affords 
touch  and  leads  to  acquaintance  with  homes  in  which 
are  unsaved  parents  and  others  who  need  Christ. 
Through  its  great  organized  class  movement,  the 
Sunday  school  is  directly  reaching  increasing  num- 
bers of  men  and  women  who  apparently  could  not  be 
influenced  through  any  other  medium.  Illustrations 
could  be  indefinitely  multiplied.  Confessedly  the 
Sunday  school  is  the  right  arm  of  the  church  in  any 
systematic  effort  to  reach  and  win  the  lost. 

On  and  on  we  might  go  naming  preeminent  church 
problems  which  the  Sunday  school  can  solve;  which 
indeed  the  Sunday  school  is  actually  solving.  Many 
of  these  the  Sunday  school  alone  can  solve.  There 
is  not  one  of  these  problems  which  cannot  be  most 
surely  and  satisfactorily  solved  by  the  Sunday  school 
which  is  honestly  seeking  to  reach  its  real  constit- 
uency. In  proportion  very  largely  as  the  Sunday 
school  maintains  aggressive  efforts  to  bring  the  peo- 
ple under  its  influence,  will  it  function  in  the  many 
high  tasks  to  which  it  is  set  in  the  church. 


Ill 

ORGANIZING  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
FOR  SUCCESS 

DURING  recent  years  the  Sunday  school  has 
been  passing  through  transitional  and  al- 
most revolutionary  processes.  In  191 1, 
Mr.  H.  Beauchamp's  book,  "  The  Graded  Sunday 
School,"  came  from  the  press.  This  was  the  first 
book  which  undertook  to  point  the  way  to  organiza- 
tion along  the  lines  of  grading  and  departmentiza- 
tion.  Then  came  along  through  the  years  a  veritable 
stream  of  books  and  other  literature.  Meantime  the 
Sunday  schools  of  the  land  have  been  struggling  on, 
drying,  testing,  experimenting,  sifting  and  gradually 
finding  themselves  in  the  new  day,  making  for  them- 
selves a  body  of  established  policies  in  organization 
and  management. 

The  Sunday  schools  have  thus  been  passing 
through  trying  times.  All  efforts  to  grade  and  de- 
partmentize  have  been  made  more  difficult  by  the 
fact  that  our  Sunday-school  buildings  have  not  lent 
themselves  to  departmentization.  With  rare  patience 
and  with  wonderful  persistence  the  Sunday-school 
workers  have  faced  the  problems  which  inevitably 
arose  out  of  the  new  type  of  organization.    The  fact 

31 


32  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

that  the  new  ideals  have  steadily  won  their  way  in 
an  institution  which  is  naturally  conservative,  and  in 
spite  of  all  but  impossible  housing  conditions,  is  suf- 
ficient attestation  of  the  fundamental  soundness  of 
the  principles  on  which  these  ideals  are  based. 

At  first  the  prime  emphasis  was  on  grading  the 
pupils.  Gradually  the  emphasis  has  shifted  to  de- 
partmentizing  the  pupils.  The  outstanding  feature 
of  present-day  Sunday-school  organization  is  its  de- 
partmental divisions.  Out  of  the  experiences  and 
experiments  of  the  past  dozen  years,  departmental 
management  stands  out  as  tested  and  finally  ac- 
cepted. Along  with  the  department  store  has  come 
the  departmental  Sunday  school.  Grading  our  pupils 
into  classes  must  necessarily  be  a  somewhat  variable 
process,  differing  in  schools  as  they  may  be  small  or 
large.  Experience  has  demonstrated  the  blessing 
and  advantage  of  breaking  the  school  into  depart- 
ments and  conducting  worship  and  instructional 
programs  according  to  the  needs  of  departmental 
groups. 

The  departmental  lines,  as  at  first  devised  and  for 
years  accepted,  are  as  follows : 

Cradle  Roll  Class  (In  the 

school)    3  years  of  age 

Beginners    4  and  5  years  of  age 

Primaries    6  to    8  years  of  age 

Juniors    9  to  12  years  of  age 

Intermediates    13  to  16  years  of  age 

Seniors  (Young  People).  17  to  24  years  of  age 
Adults    24  up 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  Cradle  Roll  is  listed 


Organizing  the  Sunday  School  33 

as  one  of  the  departments  within  the  school.  Like 
the  Home  Department,  the  Cradle  Roll  grew  np  as 
an  outside  effort.  Gradually  the  conviction  has 
grown  that  children  three  years  of  age  ought  to  be  in 
the  Sunday  school.  Experimental  efforts  in  this  di- 
rection have  confirmed  earlier  theories,  and  we  may 
now  consider  the  Cradle  Roll  Class  or  Department  in 
the  Sunday  school  as  an  established  and  accepted 
fact. 

It  should  be  said  that  in  actual  experience  the 
Senior  Department  has  never  been  limited  as  above 
indicated,  but  has  included  young  people,  the  line 
between  this  department  and  the  Adult  Department 
being  largely  drawn  on  the  basis  of  congeniality. 

The  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  De- 
nominations and  the  International  Sunday-School 
Association  have  approved  the  following  schedule: 

Cradle  Roll  Class  (In  the 

school)    3  years  of  age 

Beginners    4  and  5  years  of  age 

Primaries    6  to     8  years  of  age 

Juniors    9  to  11  years  of  age 

Intermediates    12  to  14  years  of  age 

Seniors    15  to  17  years  of  age 

Young  People   18  to  24  years  of  age 

Adults    24  years  and  up 

The  last-named  plan,  which  provides  for  seven  de- 
partments instead  of  six,  results  from  an  effort  to 
secure  a  closer  and  more  congenial  grouping  and  one 
which  conforms  more  closely  to  the  groupings  found 
in  the  public  schools.  Naturally  some  divergences 
will  arise  in  the  forms  of  Sunday-school  organiza- 


34  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

tion.  It  is  difficult,  perhaps  impracticable,  to  main- 
tain the  same  departmental  subdivisions  for  small 
schools  of  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  large  schools 
which  number  many  hundreds.  As  schools  grow 
very  large  the  number  of  departments  may  be  in- 
creased or  the  departments  themselves  may  be  sub- 
divided, as  is  suggested  on  page  40. 

The  plan  of  organization  set  forth  above  which 
provides  seven  departments  is  devised  with  special 
reference  to  large  schools,  those  having  an  attend- 
ance of  500  and  up.  The  older  form  of  organization 
offering  six  departments  has  still  some  advantages  in 
general  and  especially  for  schools  numbering  500  and 
less: 

(i)  This  plan  has  long  been  advocated  and  has 
rooted  itself  in  the  thinking  and  the  language  of 
Sunday-school  people. 

(2)  It  provides  larger  and  more  desirable  de- 
partmental groups.  In  schools  numbering  less  than 
500,  difficulty  is  experienced  in  securing  such  num- 
bers in  the  departments  from  the  Junior  Department 
up  as  will  justify  separate  assembly  rooms,  separate 
organization  and  separate  management.  A  chief 
hindrance  to  departmental  subdivision  has  been  the 
smallness  of  the  numbers  in  each  group  and  the  con- 
sequent temptation  to  combine  departmental  groups. 

(3)  The  plan  provides  for  four  years  in  the 
Junior  and  Intermediate  Departments,  which  some 
think  is  a  distinct  advantage  over  the  odd  number 
three,  offered  in  the  plan  providing  for  seven  depart- 
ments. With  four  years  allotted  to  a  department,  it  is 
easy  to  preserve  the  separation  of  the  sexes  in  classes 


Organizing  the  Sunday  School  35 

which  is  much  to  be  desired  in  the  teen  ages.  When 
necessary  two  ages  can  be  placed  in  one  class,  mak- 
ing two  classes  of  boys  in  a  department ;  likewise  girls 
of  two  ages  can  be  put  together  in  a  class,  and  thus 
four  classes  are  provided  in  a  department  with  sepa- 
ration of  the  sexes.  This  is  manifestly  impracticable 
when  three  years  are  allotted  to  a  department.  In 
such  cases  it  would  probably  be  necessary  to  discard 
sex  separation  and  place  all  pupils  of  a  given  age  in 
one  class. 

(4)  Architectural  and  other  practical  considera- 
tions must,  of  course,  weigh  in  favour  of  the  simpler 
form  of  organization,  in  so  far  as  such  simpler 
method  may  seem  to  serve  the  ends  sought  in  the 
Sunday  school. 

We  have  observed  already  that  a  serious  barrier 
to  departmentization  of  the  Sunday  school  lies  in  the 
fact  that  our  buildings  for  the  most  part  do  not  pro- 
vide department  rooms  and  thus  make  practically 
impossible  the  handling  of  the  school  In  separate 
departmental  units.  A  further  difficulty  lies  in  the 
fact  that  our  general  superintendents  are  not  yet  as 
a  rule  departmentized  in  their  thinking  and  feeling, 
and  they  are  on  this  account  sometimes  slow  to  rec- 
ognize and  utilize  the  department  superintendents  in 
a  way  to  make  successful  departmental  work.  A  yet 
further  difficulty  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  we  have 
had  little  occasion  or  opportunity  to  train  and  equip 
special  departmental  leaders.  Gradually  these  diffi- 
culties will  be  adjusted  and  we  may  reasonably  hope 
that  the  coming  years  will  see  the  departmental  Sun- 
day school  fully  established  throughout  the  whole 


36  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

world  and  yielding  the  results  in  enlarged  and  im- 
proved educational  work  which  we  have  anticipated. 

Organising  the  Departments. 

A  first  step  toward  the  proper  organization  of  the 
Sunday  school  is  the  setting  out  and  clearly  defining 
of  the  departments.  When  the  departments  are  or- 
ganized, as  we  have  outlined,  with  superintendents 
or  directors  and  a  full  corps  of  officers,  then  comes 
the  problem  which  these  officers  must  face,  of  a  thor- 
ough organization  within  the  department  itself.  No 
final  rules  for  guidance  can  be  here  laid  down.  In 
general,  we  must  classify  our  pupils  on  the  age  basis. 
Occasionally  this  basis  of  classification  may  require 
to  be  disregarded,  and  congeniality,  development, 
standing  in  day-school  may  seem  to  deserve  consid- 
eration. When  we  pass  the  time  of  early  adoles- 
cence, the  age  basis  must  more  and  more  fade  away 
until  it  is  largely  discarded  in  dealing  with  adults. 

In  all  of  the  departments  up  to  and  through  the 
Intermediate,  there  is  clearly  gain  in  classifying  on 
the  age  basis.  This  gives  a  ready  and  impartial 
basis  for  classifying  incoming  pupils;  it  provides  a 
basis  for  annual  promotion;  it  makes  possible  the 
orderly  use  of  graded  literature. 

In  all  of  these  earlier  departments  the  classes 
should  be  small  in  number  so  that  teachers  may  give 
personal  care  and  attention,  both  on  Sundays  and  in 
week-days,  to  the  pupils.  No  rule  can  be  safely  laid 
down,  but  six  or  eight  pupils  may  well  constitute  a 
full  task  for  the  average  teacher  in  any  part  of  the 
school  up  to  and  through  the  Intermediate  Depart- 


Organizing  the  Sunday  School  37 

ment.  In  the  advanced  departments  the  number  in 
the  classes  will  be  larger  since  these  classes  are  sup- 
posed to  be  organized  in  a  way  to  utilize  the  energies 
and  develop  the  resources  of  the  various  members. 

Department  lines  should  be  kept  clear.  Since  the 
age  basis  has  been  adopted,  age  lines  should  be  in- 
sisted upon.  It  is  quite  common  because  of  a  sup- 
posed shortage  in  leaders  to  combine  certain  depart- 
ments under  a  single  management.  Thus  the  Cradle 
Roll  Class  is  often  merged  with  the  Beginners.  Se- 
niors or  Young  People  are  sometimes  merged  with 
Adults.  There  is,  of  course,  distinct  loss  in  such 
merging  of  departments.  The  temptation  is  doubt- 
less strong,  but  it  must  be  resisted  if  the  school  as- 
pires to  reach  its  constituency  in  the  most  vigorous 
and  effective  way. 

The  relation  between  the  department  heads  and 
the  general  superintendent  cannot  admit  of  clear 
definition.  This  relationship  will  vary  widely  in  dif- 
ferent schools,  and  it  may  not  be  the  same  with  all 
of  the  department  heads  in  a  given  school.  Clearly 
these  department  superintendents  cannot  expect  to 
exercise  the  independent  leadership  and  direction  of 
their  departments.  In  the  selection  of  teachers,  in  the 
inauguration  of  policies,  in  the  expenditure  of  funds, 
in  all  that  directly  or  indirectly  concerns  the  welfare 
of  the  school  as  a  whole,  there  must  be  interrelation, 
conference  and  mutual  confidence.  These  and  many 
similar  problems  which  arise  in  the  management  of  a 
large  school  must  be  patiently  worked  out.  Workers 
who  are  deeply  in  earnest  and  working  toward  a 
common   goal  learn   readily   and   rapidly  to   relate 


38  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

themselves  to  each  other  in  a  happy  and  harmonious 
relationship. 

What  we  have  thus  far  said  relates  especially  to 
department  lines.  Grading  lines  are  to  be  no  less 
earnestly  insisted  upon.  In  very  large  schools  there 
must  be,  of  course,  a  number  of  classes  for  each  year 
of  age. 

Unless  there  are  special  local  conditions  v^^hich 
cause  deviation  from  the  normal,  the  enrollment  in 
the  departments  will  be  about  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  years  allotted  to  each  department  which 
in  a  school  of  100  would  mean  an  organization  on  the 
lines  mentioned  on  page  32  somewhat  as  follows: 


Age 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3 

Beginners   4-5 

Primaries 6-8 

Juniors  9-12 

Intermediates  13-16 

Seniors  (Young  People)   17-24 
Adults 25  up 


4% 

4 

pupils 

8% 

8 

<( 

12% 

12 

(( 

16% 

16 

(( 

16% 

16 

it 

20%  ( 

?) 

20 

<< 

24%  ( 

?) 

24 

(( 

100%  100 


A  school  of  600  would  in  like  manner  be  organized 
somewhat  as  follows: 


Age 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3 

Beginners  4-5 

Primaries    6-8 

Juniors    9-12 

Intermediates    13-16 

Seniors  (Young  People)   17-24 
Adults 25  up 


4% 

24  pupils 

8% 

48 

1%% 

72 

16% 

96 

16% 

96 

20%(?) 

120 

24%(?) 

144 

100%  600 


Organizing  the  Sunday  School  39 

Likewise  a  school  of  1,200  would  be  organized 
somewhat  after  this  fashion  : 

Age 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3 

Beginners   4-5 

Primaries   6-8 

Juniors    9-13 

Intermediates    13-16 

Seniors  (Young  People)   17-24        20%(?)  240 
Adults 25  up        24%  (  ?)  288 


4% 

48  pupils 

8% 

96      " 

12% 

144      " 

16% 

192      " 

16% 

193      " 

100%  1200      " 

Using  the  form  of  organization  set  forth  on 
page  33,  the  figures  for  a  school  of  lOO  would  be 
about  as  follows: 

Age 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3             4%  4  pupils 

Beginners   4-5            8%  8      " 

Primaries   6-8          12%  12      " 

Juniors 9-11         12%  12      " 

Intermediates  12-14        12%  12      " 

Seniors    15-17        13%  12     " 

Young  People 18-^4        18%  18     " 

Adults  ^  up        22%  22      " 

100%  100      " 

For  a  Simday  school  of  6oo  members  the  organi- 
zation would  be  as  follows : 

Age 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3             4%  24  pupils 

Beginners  4-5            8%  48      " 

Primaries    6-8          12%  72      " 

Juniors    9-11        12%  72      " 

Intermediates  12-14        12%  72     " 

Seniors    15-17        12%  72      " 

Young  People 18-24        18%  108      " 

Adults 25  up        22%  132      " 

100%  600     " 


4% 

48  pupils 

8% 

96      " 

12% 

144      " 

12% 

144      " 

12%c 

144      " 

12% 

144      " 

18%; 

216      " 

22% 

264      " 

40  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

A  Sunday  school  of  1,200  members  would  be  or- 
ganized as  follows : 

Age 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3 

Beginners  4-5 

Primaries   6-8 

Juniors    9-11 

Intermediates    12-14 

Seniors    15-17 

Young  People 18-24 

Adults 25  up 

100%         1200     " 

A  study  of  local  conditions,  and  especially  of  cen- 
sus returns,  will  reveal  whether  the  departmental  at- 
tendance of  a  given  school  is  according  to  a  normal 
standard.  If  it  is  not  so,  and  any  of  the  departments 
in  the  school  fall  materially  below  the  allotted  quota, 
such  departments  should  be  led  to  make  increased 
efforts  to  reach  their  possibilities. 

In  very  large  schools,  the  question  is  arising  as  to 
subdividing  the  departments.  This  plan  will  doubt- 
less rapidly  grow  in  favour.  Thus  a  school  of  1,600 
members  might  be  organized  somewhat  as  follows: 

Cradle  Roll  Class No.  1 

Cradle  Roll  Class No.  2 

Beginners  Department No.  1 

Beginners  Department  ....   No.  3 

Primary  Department No.  1 

Primary  Department  No.  2 

Junior  Department No.  1 

Junior  Department No.  2 

Intermediate  Department...   No.  1 
Intermediate  Department...  No.  2 
Young  People's  Department 
Adults   

100%     1600     " 

There  would  probably  be  no  occasion  for  dividing 
the  Young  People  and  Adults. 


2% 

32  pupils 

2% 

32      ' 

4% 

64      * 

4% 

64      ' 

6% 

96     * 

6% 

96      ' 

8% 

128      ' 

8%> 

128      ' 

8%, 

128      * 

8% 

128     ' 

20% 

320      * 

24% 

384     * 

IV 
SECURING  OFFICERS  AND   TEACHERS 

SUCH  a  Sunday-school  organization  as  we  have 
outlined  calls  for  a  large  force  of  officers  and 
teachers.  A  chief  barrier  to  the  enlargement 
and  efficiency  of  Sunday  schools  is  the  limited  num- 
ber of  workers  which  we  seem  able  to  command  as 
officers  and  teachers.  Almost  any  superintendent 
will  declare  that  he  could  greatly  enlarge  his  attend- 
ance and  extend  the  usefulness  of  his  school  if  only 
he  could  command  the  needed  officers  and  teachers. 
Let  a  round  table  be  conducted  for  Sunday-school 
superintendents  and  the  way  opened  for  questions 
from  perplexed  workers — a  question  nearly  always 
raised  is  as  to  how  to  secure  officers  and  teachers. 
Answers  almost  as  numerous  and  various  as  the  an- 
swerers have  been  given.  Like  almost  all  of  the  prob- 
lems arising  in  Sunday-school  work,  this  one  of  call- 
ing out  and  enlisting  leaders  depends  for  the  most 
part  on  tactful,  consecrated,  persistent  energy  and 
that  unfailing  quality  which  strangely  enough  we  call 
common  sense.  Some  more  or  less  obvious  observa- 
tions must  suffice. 

Many  of  our  best  workers  for  various  reasons  are 
not  enlisted  in  Sunday-school  effort.  Conditions  no 
longer  existing  may  have  drawn  them  away  from 

41 


42  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

active  service ;  being  timid,  the  statement  of  exacting 
demands  may  have  deterred  them ;  they  may  have 
been  overlooked  or  underestimated  by  previous 
leaders  in  earlier  movements;  the  methods  pursued 
or  the  spirit  manifested  in  the  past  may  not  have 
appealed  to  them;  the  scale  on  which  the  work  has 
been  conducted  may  not  hitherto  have  aroused  their 
interest.  In  every  church  there  is  a  tendency  on  the 
part  of  certain  earnest  and  willing  people  to  drift 
into  places  of  responsibility,  while  equally  competent 
people  who  are  diffident  may  be  gradually  overlooked 
in  the  assignment  of  tasks.  This  fact  is  of  vast  mo- 
ment to  the  superintendent  and  pastor  in  quest  of 
new  helpers.  The  inauguration  of  new  and  aggres- 
sive policies  may  furnish  the  desired  occasion  for  the 
enlistment  of  the  workers  in  question. 

Furthermore,  it  must  be  evident  that  a  vigorous 
and  efficient  administration  will  do  much  toward 
making  timid  and  untried  teachers  efficient.  Every 
Sunday-school  leader  knows  that  a  willing  mind  and 
a  self-sacrificing  spirit,  ready  always  to  follow,  count 
for  more  than  native  or  acquired  gifts.  Mr.  Arthur 
Flake,  an  authority  on  Sunday-school  administra- 
tion, declares  that  conscious  ability  and  past  achieve- 
ments are  no  guarantee  of  usefulness  on  the  part  of 
Sunday-school  workers.  He  suggests  on  the  other 
hand  that  the  timid  and  the  hitherto  untried  often 
give  the  most  ready  response  and  make  the  most  un- 
hesitating sacrifices  and  thus  constitute  the  most 
valuable  and  effective  teachers.  A  vigorous  and 
sympathetic  administration  will  often  lift  lagging  and 
inefficient  workers  out  of  their  lethargy  and  make 


Securing  Officers  and  Teachers  43 

them  stand  on  tiptoe,  eager  to  do  their  utmost.  A 
high  spirit  of  effort  and  devotion  is  infectious. 
When  proposed  workers  are  being  considered,  the 
real  superintendent  sees  not  what  they  are  but  what 
they  may  be;  he  looks  not  at  their  present  state  but 
at  the  high  state  to  which  he  can  lead  and  develop 
them. 

It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  boys  and  girls 
grow  rapidly ;  so  rapidly  that  we  may  easily  overlook 
their  advancement.  Youths  well  back  in  their  teens 
often  make  efficient  secretaries  and  even  successful 
teachers.  They  are  naturally  tempted  to  excuse 
themselves  by  the  claim  that  they  need  to  be  taught; 
this  excuse  is  hardly  valid  in  that  youths  of  high- 
school  age  long  for  active  service  and  that  they  learn 
best  by  doing.  High-school  girls  under  competent 
leadership  make  helpful  teachers  in  the  earlier 
grades  which  comprise  little  children.  A  teacher  of 
a  half  dozen  difficult  boys  secured  as  his  associate 
and  helper  a  high-school  boy  who  had  only  recently 
been  converted.  This  older  boy  was  always  present 
in  the  class  to  render  any  possible  service,  and  on 
week-days  led  the  boys  in  their  sports  and  athletic 
activities.  He  organized  them  into  a  club  and  in 
tactful  ways  drew  other  boys  into  the  class.  When 
the  number  in  the  class  reached  twelve,  the  class  was 
divided  and  another  high-school  boy  was  called  to  its 
leadership.  This  youth  was,  of  course,  the  best 
"  substitute "  teacher,  and  under  his  responsibilities 
he  rapidly  grew  until  he  was  called  to  take  full 
charge  of  the  boys'  work  in  a  neighbouring  Sunday 
school.    The  process  may  be  a  trifle  slow,  but  it  is 


44  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

sure,  this  process  of  growing  our  workers  rather* 
than  expecting  them  to  step  fully  equipped  into  the 
service. 

Many  methods  will  suggest  themselves  for  secur- 
ing needed  teachers.  A  study  of  the  church  rolls 
may  yield  helpful  suggestions;  requests  for  sugges- 
tions from  interested  workers  may  at  any  time  lead 
to  rich  finds;  calls  for  volunteers  may  be  worth 
while;  training  schools  and  institutes  are  always  in- 
spiring; special  vocational  schools  are  being  offered 
for  Sunday-school  workers ;  our  Summer  Assemblies 
always  offer  helpful  courses;  Sunday-school  conven- 
tions which  bring  together  groups  of  interested  peo- 
ple have  long  been  found  suggestive  and  quickening. 

The  general  officers  will,  of  course,  bear  in  mind 
that  they  have  interested  helpers  in  the  securing  of 
new  workers  In  the  departmental  superintendents. 
The  head  of  each  department  is  to  be  held  responsi- 
ble for  his  department,  and  hence  he  will  be  keenly 
interested  to  discover  and  enlist  the  best  available 
material.  The  spirit  of  team-work  is  the  real  key  to 
Sunday-school  success.  The  general  superintendent 
who  assumes  responsibility  for  the  finding  of  teach- 
ers throughout  the  Sunday  school  does  himself  an 
injustice  and  Inflicts  wrong  upon  his  fellow-workers 
who  direct  the  various  departments.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  department  superintendents  assume  to 
select  the  needed  teachers  apart  from  the  main  su- 
perintendent, confusion  and  Inefficiency  must  result. 

If  you  would  have  teachers  sufficient  In  number 
and  skilled  for  the  work,  there  is,  after  all,  but  one 
sure  way  to  get  them;  train  them.    The  training 


Securing  Officers  and  Teachers  45 

processes  which  have  been  so  vigorously  pressed  for 
a  dozen  years  are  just  now  beginning  to  bear  fruit. 
The  training  of  workers  is  a  prime  factor  in  creating 
the  present  tides  which  are  sweeping  in  Sunday- 
school  work.  The  training  given  to  workers  is  in- 
spiring them  with  the  vision  and  courage  which  make 
possible  the  big  Sunday  schools  of  our  day.  Train- 
ing processes  are  never  easy.  Painful,  difficult,  pro- 
longed they  may  be,  but  they  constitute  the  only  sure 
means  of  reaching  our  most  coveted  goals.  The 
courses  now  offered  by  many  agencies  for  the  train- 
ing of  Sunday-school  workers  are  the  outgrowth  of 
efforts  and  experience  continuing  through  many 
years.  They  are  skillfully  adapted  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  workers  and  they  offer  studies  which  are  com- 
pelling in  their  interest  and  charm.  They  may  be 
pursued  individually  or  in  class.  They  lend  them- 
selves to  the  highly  educated  and  to  those  who  have 
not  enjoyed  educational  advantages. 

Leaders  who  may  be  distressed  because  of  the  lack 
of  equipped  teachers  may  well  be  heartened  by  the 
many  means  now  being  effectively  used  to  procure  a 
generation  of  trained  workers.  Our  young  peoples' 
societies  were  never  so  active  and  efficient ;  our  Sun- 
day schools,  themselves,  with  their  improved  graded 
lessons  and  their  educational  methods,  must  bear 
fruit;  our  colleges  and  seminaries  are  laying  in- 
creased emphasis  on  the  training  of  leaders  and 
teachers.  One  of  the  denominations  reports  35,756 
teacher  training  awards  bestowed  during  the  past 
year  in  the  church  schools.  Surely  the  future  is 
bright  with  hope. 


V 

HOUSING  THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL 

IF  one  were  asked  to  name  the  outstanding  bar- 
rier to  the  growth  of  our  Sunday  schools,  prob- 
ably the  almost  universal  answer  would  be,  the 
narrow  limitations  of  our  present  buildings.  We 
have  in  all  directions  schools  which  are  hampered  in 
their  future  growth  by  the  inadequate  quarters  in 
which  they  must  do  their  work.  Our  really  large 
schools,  almost  without  exception,  are  overflowing 
their  buildings  and  are  using  adjoining  buildings, 
tabernacles,  tents,  down-town  theaters,  or  business 
houses. 

We  cannot  have  large  and  efficient  Sunday  schools 
without  ample  housing  space.  Our  ideas  as  regards 
the  space  necessary  for  the  large  Sunday  school  are 
rapidly  undergoing  change.  Through  painful  expe- 
riences we  are  learning  our  lesson.  The  Sunday 
school  in  which  the  author  is  permitted  to  labour 
sought  enlargement  of  numbers  for  a  period  of 
years.  Untiring  and  well-directed  efforts  proved 
unavailing.  Beyond  a  certain  number  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  go.  Even  that  number  could  be  main- 
tained onl}^  with  much  difficulty.  At  last  an  adjoin- 
ing residence  was  secured  in  which  provision  was 
made  for  the  Elementarv  Departments  and  a  down- 

46 


Housing  the  Sunday  School  47 

town  theater  was  put  at  the  disposal  of  a  great  men's 
class.  In  these  ways  fairly  adequate  space  was  pro- 
vided for  each  department  in  the  Sunday  school. 
Within  four  months  the  attendance  doubled.  Qearly 
the  building  had  set  limits  to  enlargement  which  no 
vigour  of  effort  could  overcome.  This  experience 
is  typical  and  the  story  might  be  duplicated  in  almost 
any  section.  In  every  part  of  the  countiy  schools 
are  hampered  and  halted  in  their  growth  by  insuffi- 
cient space.  Let  the  superintendent  who  has  sought 
in  vain  to  enlarge  his  attendance  make  a  detailed  sur- 
vey of  his  equipment  with  a  view  to  determine 
whether  and  how  far  he  and  his  associates  are  being 
defeated  by  limitations  in  the  building. 

There  is,  of  course,  another  question  here — the 
question  as  to  whether  we  have  the  moral  right  to 
seek  enlargement  of  the  Sunday  school  when  such 
enlargement  means  unseemly  crowding  and  neces- 
sarily results  in  inefficient  work.  However  this  may 
be,  it  yet  remains  that  a  really  big  Sunday  school 
cannot  be  built  up  in  small  cramped  quarters.  A 
company  of  young  men  debated  far  into  the  night  as 
to  whether  it  is  wrong  to  cheat  a  lawyer.  On  to- 
ward day,  a  wise  man  closed  the  controversy  by  say- 
ing :  "  It  doesn't  matter  whether  it  is  right  or  wrong, 
you  can't  do  it  anyhow." 

The  Sunday  schools  of  the  country  face  an  anom- 
alous situation.  Within  a  dozen  years  Sunday- 
school  organization  has  been  revolutionized;  the 
Sunday  school  has  attained  an  entirely  new  place  in 
the  thinking  of  the  people ;  new  methods  and  policies 
have  been  inaugtirated   for  the  upbuilding  of  the 


48  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Sunday  school.  During  this  time  our  people  have 
been  largely  estopped  from  the  erection  of  new  build- 
ings. Sunday  schools  everywhere  are  pressing 
against  the  walls  of  the  buildings  which  they  occupy. 
We  may,  therefore,  expect  unprecedented  develop- 
ments in  the  way  of  remodehng  and  new  buildings  in 
the  coming  years.  For  guidance  in  the  planning  of 
the  large  buildings  which  must  be  erected,  we  have 
little  in  the  way  of  experience  and  precedent  to  help 
us.  Here  and  there  great  buildings  have  been  erected 
as  in  Fort  Worth  and  Wichita  Falls,  Texas,  and 
Lakeland,  Florida,  where  we  find  departmental  build- 
ings which  are  capable  of  housing  very  large  num- 
bers. We  hear  of  buildings  projected  in  New  York 
City,  Dallas,  Texas,  and  Richmond,  Va.,  which  are  to 
cost  around  a  million  of  dollars,  and  beyond  doubt 
such  buildings  capable  of  housing  thousands  of  Sun- 
day-school pupils  will  be  erected  in  many  sections. 

In  the  light  of  such  experience  and  precedent  as 
are  available,  we  undertake  to  state  some  policies  as 
regards  the  housing  of  large  Sunday  schools  which 
will  probably  meet  with  general  acceptance. 

I.  Fourteen  square  feet  for  each  pupil  should  be 
allowed  from  the  Cradle  Roll  Qass  to  the  Adult 
Department.  If  a  given  department  is  expected  to 
have  100  pupils,  1,400  square  feet  of  floor  space 
should  be  provided  for  that  department.  A  total  of 
fourteen  square  feet  per  pupil  should  be  allowed 
throughout  the  school,  regardless  of  whether  a  de- 
partment room  alone  Is  provided,  or  a  department 
room  and  class  rooms.  A  suitable  provision  for  a 
Junior  Department  of  100  members,  for  instance. 


Housing  the  Sunday  School  49 

would  be  a  department  room  With  700  square  feet  of 
floor  space  and  with  class  rooms  comprising  a  total 
of  700  square  feet  of  space. 

We  must  insist  upon  this  full  allowance  of  four- 
teen square  feet  for  each  pupil  throughout  the  entire 
school.  This  demand  has  been  carefully  tested  and 
has  met  with  wide  approval  on  the  part  of  experi- 
enced workers.  The  allowance  will  seem  unduly 
large  to  workers  who  have  known  only  cramped  and 
insufficient  quarters.  Disappointment  and  measur- 
able inefficiency  must  result  if  we  lower  this  stand- 
ard, and  provide  less  space  than  fourteen  square  feet 
per  pupil. 

It  is  frequently  found  desirable  as  a  measure  of 
economy  to  ask  the  Adult  Department  to  use  the 
main  auditorium  for  its  assembly.  If  in  this  way  we 
save  ourselves  the  necessity  to  provide  an  Adult  As- 
sembly room,  we  will  need  to  allow  only  seven  square 
feet  for  each  adult  pupil  in  order  to  secure  the 
needed  class-room  space. 

The  organization  and  requirements  of  a  Sunday 
school  of  200  in  accordance  with  tables  on  page  32, 
would  be  about  as  follows : 

Pupils      Square  feet 

Cradle  Roll  Class 3  112 

Beginners   16  224 

Primaries   24  336 

Juniors   32  448 

Intermediates   32  448 

Seniors  (Young  People) 40  560 

Adults    48  672 

200  2,800 

Following  the  method  of  organization  presented 


^O  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

on  page  33,  we  would  require  for  a  school  of  20O 

provisions  somewhat  as  follows: 

Pupils      Square  feet 

Cradle  Roll  Class  8  112 

Beginners   16  224 

Primaries    24  336 

Juniors   24  336 

Intermediates   24  336 

Seniors   24  336 

Young  People  36  504 

Aduhs    44  616 


Square 

Dept. 

Class 

Feet 

Room 

Rooms 

336 

672 

6 

1008 

9 

1344 

12 

1344 

12 

1680 

6(?) 

2016 

6(?) 

200  2,800 

The  organization  and  requirements  of  a  Sunday 
school  of  600  would  be  somewhat  as  follows : 


Pupils 
Cradle  Roll  Class....     24 

Beginners  48 

Primaries  72 

Juniors 96 

Intermediates 96 

Seniors — 

(Young  People)  ...  120 
Adults   144 

600  8400  7  51(?) 

Using  the  method  of  organization  presented  on 
page  33,  we  would  have  for  a  school  of  600  as  fol- 
lows: 

Ptipils 

Cradle  Roll  Class 24 

Beginners  48 

Primaries   72 

Juniors 72 

Intermediates  72 

Seniors 72 

Young  People  108 

Adults   132 

600  8400  8  54 

\.u- 


Square 

Dept. 

Class 

Feet 

Room 

Rooms 

336 

672 

6 

1008 

9 

1008 

9 

1008 

9 

1008 

9 

1512 

6(?) 

1848 

6(?) 

Housing  the  Sunday  School  51 

With  these  tables  as  a  basis,  it  would  be  a  simple 
matter  to  make  similar  outlines  for  smaller  schools, 
or  for  schools  of  1,000,  2,000,  3,000,  4,000  or  larger 
numbers. 

2.  Department  rooms  should  be  provided  for 
each  of  the  departments.  If  departmental  rooms 
and  class  rooms  are  provided,  seven  square  feet  per 
person  should  be  allowed  for  the  department  rooms 
and  seven  square  feet  should  be  allowed  for  each 
person  for  class-room  space.  If  class  rooms  are  not 
provided,  fourteen  square  feet  per  pupil  should  be 
allowed  in  the  department  rooms. 

The  relative  numbers  to  be  provided  for  in  each 
department  may  be  estimated  on  the  basis  of  the 
number  of  years  allotted  to  each  department.  What 
these  numbers  will  be  under  normal  conditions  is  in- 
dicated by  the  tables  given  above.  The  architect,  in 
making  plans  for  the  Sunday-school  building,  should 
be  held  to  these  relative  proportions  unless  there  are 
exceptional  conditions  which  justify  a  different 
schedule.  In  a  college  town  the  presence  of  a  great 
number  of  students  may  require  enlarged  and  alto- 
gether exceptional  space  for  the  Senior  or  Young 
People's  Department. 

3.  Department  rooms  must  be  practically  sound- 
proof so  as  to  admit  of  various  forms  of  worship, 
such  as  singing,  without  disturbing  other  groups. 
Once  attention  is  directed  to  this  matter  Its  signifi- 
cance must  be  apparent.  Building  committees  and 
architects  nevertheless  frequently  yield  to  the  temp- 
tation to  place  folding  doors  or  rolling  partitions  be- 
tween the  departments.     Such  partitions  can  never 


52  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

be  satisfactory.  Double  plastered  walls  especially 
treated  to  make  them  as  nearly  sound-proof  as  pos- 
sible should  always  be  used  for  this  purpose. 

4.  Class  rooms  are  desirable  in  every  department 
of  the  Sunday  school.  There  is  no  class  which  will 
not  do  better  and  be  better  taught  in  its  own  closed-in 
class  room.  Class  rooms  are  imperatively  needed  in 
the  advanced  departments.  No  rule  can  be  laid  down 
to  govern  the  size  or  the  number  of  class  rooms.  For 
departments  up  through  the  Intermediate,  rooms  6x8 
feet  are  usually  considered  sufficiently  large.  The 
mistake  is  frequently  made  of  allowing  unnecessary 
space  for  class  rooms  in  these  departments,  as  the 
mistake  is  also  frequently  made  of  allotting  to  these 
classes  too  many  pupils. 

5.  All  general  assemblies  of  the  Sunday  school 
should  be  held  in  the  main  church  auditorium.  This 
is  necessary  for  the  sake  of  a  proper  economy;  few, 
if  any,  churches  feel  themselves  financially  able  to 
provide  two  great  spacious  auditoriums — one  for 
worship  and  the  other  for  the  Sunday  school.  Apart 
from  the  question  of  economy,  this  is  desirable. 
Such  general  assemblies  of  the  Sunday  school  as 
seem  advisable  ought  to  be  held  in  the  church  audi- 
torium. The  Sunday  school  needs  the  dignity  and 
solemnity  of  this  worshipful  room.  The  younger 
people  need  at  least  this  much  familiarity  with  the 
main  auditorium,  since  many  of  them,  alas,  may  not 
otherwise  secure  such  desired  touch  with  it. 

Prof.  H.  F.  Evans  was  a  pioneer  in  the  advocacy 
of  the  use  of  the  main  auditorium  for  Sunday-school 
assemblies.    As  early  as   1914  he  wrote  in  "The 


Housing  the  Sunday  School  53 

Sunday- School    Building    and    Its    Equipment "    as 
follows : 

"  The  whole  school  will  meet  in  general  assembly 
only  occasionally,  not  over  seven  or  eight  times  a 
year.  A  large  auditorium  should  not  be  built  to  be 
used  on  so  few  occasions.  Where  shall  these  ses- 
sions be  held  ?  The  obvious  answer  is,  In  the  church 
auditorium.  Some  may  object  at  once.  The  church 
proper  should  not  be  used  for  children's  exercises 
lest  reverence  be  destroyed.  One  of  the  important 
duties  of  the  church  school  is  to  develop  a  sense  of 
reverence  in  the  growing  child.  Surely  no  place 
could  be  found  more  calculated  to  arouse  reverence 
than  the  church  auditorium." 

6.  Since  the  general  assemblies  of  the  Sunday 
school  must  be  held  in  the  main  auditorium,  the  de- 
partment rooms  should  be  located  and  arranged  with 
a  view  to  a  quick  and  easy  coming  together  of  the 
departments  in  the  main  auditorium.  Though  of 
vital  importance  affecting  the  usefulness  of  a  build- 
ing and  the  pleasure  which  it  will  afford,  this  point 
may  be  easily  overlooked  by  the  committee  or  the 
architect  who  has  not  had  attention  especially  di- 
rected to  it. 

As  an  illustration  of  what  is  here  meant,  the  audi- 
torium of  the  building  with  which  the  author  is  asso- 
ciated has  on  the  side  of  the  Sunday-school  building 
only  one  vestibule  entrance.  Through  this  one  en- 
trance every  Sunday  morning  the  Juniors,  Interme- 
diates and  Seniors  must  pass  in  order  to  attend  a 
brief  closing  exercise.  In  order  to  avoid  delay  and 
confusion,  the  three  departments  must  carefully  time 
their  closing  and  must  be  always  exactly  on  a  given 


54  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

moment.  The  slightest  delay  of  any  one  of  the  de- 
partments which  may  be  occasioned  by  the  most 
trifling  incident  will  bring  two  long  columns  to  the 
entrance  at  the  same  time.  The  result  may  well  be 
imagined. 

And  just  here  we  may  well  raise  the  question  of  a 
separate  building.  In  order  to  house  our  large  mod- 
ern Sunday  schools  is  it  going  to  become  necessary 
or  advisable  to  have  two  buildings,  one  primarily  to 
house  the  preaching  service  and  the  other  to  accom- 
modate the  teaching  service?  Mr.  R.  H.  Hunt,  of 
Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  who,  as  an  architect,  is 
making  a  specialty  of  designing  very  large  buildings, 
is  inclined  strongly  to  believe  that  a  practical  solu- 
tion of  our  housing  problem  lies  along  the  line  pro- 
posed, viz.,  the  erection  of  two  separate  buildings, 
properly  related  to  each  other. 

On  the  other  hand.  Dr.  W.  J.  McGlothlin,  eminent 
as  a  church  historian,  throws  out  this  rather  serious 
warning:  ^ 

"  It  is  important  that  all  the  activities  of  the 
church  should  be  carried  on  under  the  same  roof  in 
the  same  building.  A  separate  building  for  any  part 
of  the  church  work  tends  to  break  up  the  unity  of 
the  whole  and  secularize  that  portion  which  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  place  of  worship.  There  Is  not  want- 
ing a  disposition  on  the  part  of  adult  Sunday-school 
classes,  young  people's  societies  and  some  other  or- 
ganizations to  become  detached  from  the  church. 
This  tendency  explains  In  part,  no  doubt,  the  de- 
creasing attendance  In  American  churches  In  recent 
years.     It  Is  undoubtedly  strengthened  by  breaking 

'"A  Vital  Ministry,"  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company. 


Housing  the  Sunday  School  55 

up  the  various  activities  of  the  church,  and  carrying 
them  into  different  rooms  or  even  separate  buildings ; 
for  it  is  much  easier  to  shp  away  from  such  a  room 
than  from  the  church  auditorium.  By  all  means 
have  everything  under  the  same  roof." 

The  considerations  which  favour  a  separate  build- 
ing are,  the  securing  of  better  light  and  better  venti- 
lation, and  the  opportunity  offered  in  a  separate 
building  of  providing  better  educational  facilities. 
These  considerations  are  largely  architectural  in 
their  nature  and  if  they  prevail  and  separate  build- 
ings are  erected,  the  fundamental  principles  which 
Dr.  McGlothlin  urges  must  be  kept  in  mind. 

Our  concern  here  is  not  with  the  question  of  one 
building  or  two ;  that  question  must  be  variously  de- 
termined according  to  conditions.  We  are  only  con- 
cerned with  the  previous  questions  raised  above  as  to 
easy  and  immediate  access  to  the  auditorium  from 
the  various  department  rooms.  We  have  in  mind 
especially  the  departments  from  the  Juniors  up,  since 
the  lower  departments  will  not  so  frequently  be 
called  to  assemble  in  the  auditorium.  Our  insistence 
is  that  v/hether  one  building  or  more  than  one  is 
erected,  care  shall  be  exercised  to  see  that  the  vari- 
ous departments  may  in  ready  and  orderly  fashion 
assemble  in  the  main  auditorium. 

7.  We  have  outlined  above  the  direct  immediate 
needs  of  the  Sunday  school  in  the  way  of  depart- 
ment and  class  rooms.  There  are,  of  course,  many 
other  rooms  whose  claims  must  be  considered. 
Among  these  we  may  name  without  discussion  the 
following : 


56  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

1.  A  Geography  Room. 

2.  A  Mission  Room. 

3.  Library  Rooms. 

4.  A  Reading  Room. 

5.  Cloak  Rooms. 

6.  A  Teacher-Training  Room. 

7.  Recreational  Rooms. 

8.  Storage  Rooms. 

9.  A  Superintendent's  Room. 

10.  A  Secretary's  Room  (or  rooms). 

11.  At  least  two  rooms  for  stenographers  or 

other  assistants. 

12.  A  Mothers'  Room. 

13.  A  Cradle  Roll  Room. 

14.  A  Janitor's  Room. 

15.  A  Janitor's  Work  Room. 

Administrative  offices  are  especially  needful  in 
providing  for  large  Sunday  schools.  We  know  of 
one  school  which  employs  more  than  a  dozen  paid 
workers.  Paid  workers  for  the  Sunday  school  will 
come  more  and  more  into  vogue,  and  it  is  a  far- 
sighted  policy  which  makes  in  new  buildings  ample 
provision  for  the  needed  office  space. 


VI 

PROBLEMS  IN  HOUSING  THE  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

THE  greatest  peril  which  arises  in  the  effort 
to  house  the  modern  Sunday  school  lies  in 
the  possible  failure  to  recognize  that  perils 
lurk  along  the  path  at  every  turn.  The  housing  of 
the  Sunday  school  has  entered  upon  a  new  and  dis- 
tinct development ;  there  is  little  in  the  past  to  guide 
us.  In  fact,  the  traditions  of  the  past  constitute  a 
distinct  menace.  Efforts  thus  far  made  to  house  the 
departmental  Sunday  school,  admirable  and  self-sac- 
rificing as  they  have  been,  have  not  met  with  un- 
qualified success.  In  general  these  efforts  have  left 
much  to  be  desired.  We  discuss  in  this  chapter  some 
of  the  problems  which  we  face  when  we  undertake 
to  build  adequately  for  the  Sunday  school. 

There  is,  first  of  all,  danger  that  we  shall  plan  on 
an  inadequate  scale.  The  demands  made  by  the 
Sunday  school  are  so  extended  that  even  informed 
workers  find  it  difficult  to  convince  a  congregation 
and  to  lead  them  to  plan  on  the  large  scale  which  is 
required.  The  keenest  and  most  frequent  disap- 
pointment is  felt  over  the  utter  inadequacy  of  build- 
ings which  were  supposedly  very  large.  We  rarely, 
if  ever,  hear  of  a  building  which  is  "too  large  for 
the  Sunday  school."  More  than  once  the  author  has 
been  called  to  examine  spacious  buildings  recently 

57 


58  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

completed,  only  to  be  told  that  the  building  had  al- 
ready proven  utterly  inadequate  to  meet  the  demands 
made  upon  it. 

It  is  always  well  to  remember  that  the  united  and 
prolonged  effort  required  to  erect  a  new  building  in- 
fuses new  life  into  a  congregation  and  that  the  at- 
tractiveness of  a  newly  completed  structure  is  calcu- 
lated to  stimulate  larger  attendance.  This  is,  of 
course,  especially  true  of  a  building  of  unusual  pro- 
portions which,  during  its  erection,  has  been  widely 
heralded  as  an  up-to-date  educational  house.  When 
we  plan  a  new  building,  we  set  pretty  definite  limits 
to  the  possible  Sunday-school  attendance.  These 
limits  will  probably  stand  for  many  decades  without 
revision.  It  is  a  short-sighted  policy  to  build  simply 
with  an  eye  to  present  conditions  and  needs.  There 
is  serious  danger  that  new  buildings  will  be  planned 
on  a  scale  utterly  inadequate  to  meet  future  growing 
needs.  These  inadequate  buildings  will  doubtless 
prove  a  serious  handicap  to  the  expansion  of  the 
Sunday  school  in  the  coming  years. 

When  it  is  necessary  to  speak  in  general  terms,  it 
is  difficult  to  say  in  this  matter  just  what  one  would 
like  to  say.  We  will  naturally  think  of  the  new 
building  in  comparison  with  the  present  building,  or 
in  comparison  with  other  new  church  buildings  re- 
cently erected  or  now  projected.  Occasionally  a 
church  will  dare  to  disregard  all  precedents  and  will 
step  out  and  undertake  a  building  on  lines  which  will 
provide  amply,  department  by  department,  for  a 
really  great  Sunday  school.  Such  churches  will  be 
worthy  pioneers;  they  will  set  a  proper  pace  for 


Problems  in  Housing  the  Sunday  School    59 

churches  in  wide  circles ;  they  will  be  benefactors  of 
the  race. 

Later  on  in  these  pages  we  outline  a  definite 
method  of  determining  with  some  system  rather  than 
by  mere  guess  what  floor  space  will  require  to  be 
provided  to  meet  given  needs.  The  mistakes  which 
the  churches  make  in  building  too  small,  generally 
grow  out  of  the  vagueness  with  which  they  estimate 
the  needs  of  the  Sunday  school.  They  depend  upon 
guesswork  and  vague  estimates  rather  than  definite 
scientific  methods  of  determining  needs. 

There  is,  of  course,  the  danger  that  the  churches 
will  permit  financial  considerations  to  be  the  primary 
factor  in  determining  plans  for  the  new  building. 
How  often  do  we  find  the  church  leaders  casting 
about  first  of  all  to  see  "  how  much  we  can  raise  for 
a  building."  This  is  a  wrong  approach  to  a  great 
problem.  A  bank  wishing  to  erect  a  new  building 
would  first  of  all  consider  its  needs  and  weigh  the 
question  as  to  what  type  of  building  is  desirable  and 
what  floor-space  is  necessary.  When  these  questions 
are  determined,  the  officers  and  directors  will  face 
the  financial  question  with  a  view  to  determine 
whether  or  how  far  the  bank  is  in  position  to  meet 
the  evident  needs.  A  community  wishing  to  erect  a 
schoolhouse  will  first  face  the  question  of  the  needs 
to  be  met,  the  children  of  various  grades  to  be  pro- 
vided for,  the  type  of  building  which  will  befit  the 
situation.  When  these  questions  have  had  due  and 
primary  consideration,  then  comes  the  question  as  to 
whether  or  how  far  the  community  can  provide 
funds  for  the  needed  building. 


6o  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Churches  probably  constitute  the  only  exception  to 
the  wise  custom  which  all  but  universally  prevails 
with  institutions  and  individuals  alike,  of  facing  first 
the  question  of  need  and  later  the  question  of  re- 
sources to  meet  the  need. 

In  pointing  out  this  mistake  which  pitches  the 
movement  on  small  lines  and  belittles  the  whole 
building  project,  and  in  suggesting  that  this  mistake 
is  all  too  frequent,  we  do  not  forget  the  great  num- 
bers of  right-thinking  churches  which,  putting  first 
things  first,  start  with  a  consideration  of  present  and 
prospective  needs,  and  have  tentative  plans  drawn 
which  will  meet  these  needs.  They  then  face  the 
question  as  to  how  far  they  can  hope  to  provide  the 
needed  funds.  Thus  the  people  are  permitted  to  de- 
vise their  gifts,  not  in  the  dark  without  any  definite 
objective,  but  in  clear  light  understanding  the  rea- 
sonable needs  and  knowing  the  compromises  which 
must  result  if  they  fail  to  provide  the  desired  sum. 
Blessings  upon  these  wide-visioned,  far-seeing 
churches;  they  will  reap  the  fruits  of  their  wisdom 
not  alone,  but  will  bring  down  blessings  upon  wide 
circles  of  churches. 

The  churches  face  difficulty  and  not  a  little  peril 
in  the  fact  that  within  very  recent  years  the  Sunday 
school  in  its  organization  and  its  consequent  building 
requirements  has  made  a  sharp  turn.  We  may  almost 
say,  "  Old  things  have  passed  away ;  behold  all  things 
are  become  new."  It  is  well  to  remind  ourselves  that 
the  first  book  ever  written  on  the  graded  Sunday 
school  appeared  in  191 1,  and  the  present  methods  of 
organization    so    familiar   to    active    Sunday-school 


Problems  in  Housing  the  Sunday  School    6 1 

workers  is  of  very  recent  origin.  The  stronger 
financial  factors,  the  men  who  must  largely  bear  the 
burden  of  the  new  building,  may  not  have  had  occa- 
sion to  familiarize  themselves  with  modern  Sunday- 
school  methods  and  requirements.  These  men  may 
with  the  best  of  intentions  and  without  the  slightest 
thought  of  harm  jeopardize  the  best  interests  of  the 
Sunday  school  in  the  building  program.  A  case  in 
point  comes  to  mind.  A  church  which  chanced  to  be 
without  a  pastor  was  minded  to  build.  The  men  of 
the  church  with  an  undefined  and  certainly  uncon- 
fessed  feeling  that  preachers  are  sometimes  assertive 
in  building  projects,  determined  to  arrange  the  plans 
for  the  new  building  before  a  new  pastor  came  on 
the  field.  They  secured  the  services  of  a  well-known 
commercial  architect  who  did  not  know  that  Sunday- 
school  methods  and  ideals  had  materially  changed 
since  his  boyhood  days.  The  men  worked  with  the 
architect  and  a  church  plan  gradually  took  form.  A 
Sunday-school  leader,  honoured  and  trusted,  hap- 
pened in.  The  committee  asked  him  to  look  over 
their  building  plan.  The  auditorium  was  beautiful 
and  well-proportioned.  They  came  to  the  Sunday- 
school  provisions.  The  Sunday-school  man  listened 
quietly  as  the  architect  turned  the  various  sheets. 
He  was  about  to  leave  the  room  without  comment. 
Urged  by  the  men  to  tell  them  what  he  thought  about 
the  plans,  he  said,  "  Gentlemen,  you  cannot  erect  this 
building.  It  would  be  an  affront  to  the  Sunday- 
school  world.  Childhood,  hungry  with  moral  and 
spiritual  needs,  would  cry  out  against  you.  Your 
plans  violate  at  practically  every  vital  point  the  find- 


62  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

ings  of  modern  educational  and  psychological  re- 
search." Be  it  said  to  the  everlasting  credit  of  that 
company  of  men,  they  discarded  the  plans,  secured  a 
pastor,  called  for  the  services  of  a  Sunday-school 
specialist,  and  began  an  entirely  new  effort  to  plan  a 
worthy  educational  building. 

Since  the  days  when  men  now  in  middle  age  were 
in  college  and  seminary,  educators,  psychologists  and 
practical  workers  have  turned  floods  of  light  on  re- 
ligious education  as  conducted  in  the  Sunday  school 
so  that  within  recent  years  Sunday-school  organiza- 
tion has  been  completely  revolutionized.  The  Sun- 
day school  of  to-day  bears  scant  resemblance  to  the 
simple  ungraded  institution  of  a  generation  ago. 
Since  the  days  when  most  of  the  preachers  and  pas- 
tors of  our  day  were  in  training  for  the  ministry, 
courses  in  religious  education  and  instruction  in 
Sunday-school  pedagogy  have  been  widely  intro- 
duced into  our  educational  institutions.  Thus  the 
older  ministers  missed  the  training  which  is  now  ac- 
corded to  practically  all  ministerial  students.  The 
transition  processes  through  which  we  are  passing 
will  necessarily  leave  their  trace  in  many  church 
buildings. 

The  reader  has  doubtless  already  discerned  that  a 
problem  which  our  churches  must  face  in  securing 
adapted  buildings  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  architects 
who  must  guide  us  in  planning  these  buildings,  save 
In  exceptional  instances,  have  not  enjoyed  wide 
experience  in  meeting  the  needs  of  the  modern  de- 
partmental Sunday  school.  It  is,  of  course,  possible 
that  any  given  architect  may  not  have  had  such  prac- 


Problems  in  Housing  the  Sunday  School    63 

tical  touch  with  modern  Sunday-school  work  as 
>vouId  enable  him  to  grasp  the  primary  requirements 
of  a  Sunday-school  building.  It  is  not  usually  the 
way  of  successful  professional  men  to  confess  igno- 
rance where  information  is  expected  and  is  taken  for 
granted.  It  would  be  amusing,  if  it  were  not  painful 
and  actually  lamentable,  to  see  the  performances  of 
an  architect  who  without  knowledge  of  modern  Sun- 
day-school work  and  without  experience  in  building 
with  a  view  to  meet  Sunday-school  needs,  undertakes 
to  draw  plans  for  a  modern  Sunday-school  building. 
Millions  of  money,  we  would  be  safe  in  saying  one 
hundred  millions  of  dollars  a  year,  will,  in  normal 
conditions,  be  expended  for  church  and  Sunday- 
school  buildings.  These  millions  must  pass  through 
the  hands  of  our  architects,  by  them  to  be  moulded 
into  frame  and  brick  and  stone  for  the  housing  of 
our  church  and  Sunday-school  interests. 

While  we  are  calling  young  men  to  dedicate  their 
lives  to  the  ministry  and  missionary  work,  why  may 
we  not  suggest  to  devout  youths  the  putting  of  their 
lives  on  this  altar?  What  need  is  more  vital  or  more 
urgent  than  the  need  for  devout  competent  architects 
to  take  our  millions  and  give  us  in  return  useful, 
adapted  and  beautiful  buildings?  Imperative  as  is 
this  need  in  the  home  lands,  it  is  even  more  keenly 
felt  on  foreign  fields.  Our  Foreign  Mission  Boards 
are  quietly  looking  about  for  men  whom  they  can 
send  to  the  foreign  fields  to  guide  in  the  extensive 
building  developments  which  are  inevitable. 

When  we  list  the  architect  as  among  the  serious 
problems  faced  by  our  churches  in  the  building  pro- 


64  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

gram,  we  write  no  hard  or  unkind  word  either  against 
a  noble  profession  or  against  the  company  of  men 
who  are  practicing  this  profession.  Our  present  situa- 
tion has  arisen  through  no  fault  either  of  the  profes- 
sion or  the  men  who  follow  it.  We  take  no  account 
here  of  the  architect  who,  lacking  in  reverence  and 
caution,  fails  to  grasp  the  seriousness  of  this  situa- 
tion and  is  willing  to  rush  in  where  angels  might  well 
fear  to  tread.  Nor  do  we  care  to  think  of  the  man 
who  knows  not  enough  of  the  intricate  and  delicate 
demands  made  on  the  building  by  the  present-day 
Sunday  school,  even  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  in- 
volved in  its  proper  housing.  One  architect,  called 
upon  to  design  a  great  Sunday-school  building,  vis- 
ited a  Sunday-school  specialist  and  asked  him  to 
state  the  organization  and  requirements  of  a  great 
Sunday  school.  Lest  something  might  slip  his  mind, 
he  drew  out  an  old  envelope  from  his  pocket  to  write 
down  "  the  organization  and  requirements  of  a  great 
Sunday  school."  One  may  readily  be  excused  for 
ignorance  concerning  the  vast  world  of  religious 
education  as  it  is  conducted  in  the  modern  depart- 
mental Sunday  school,  but  what  shall  we  say  of  the 
man  who  entrusted  v/ith  the  high  task  of  housing 
this  institution  is  so  ignorant  concerning  his  own 
ignorance  as  to  suppose  that  a  sufficient  statement  of 
Its  organization  and  requirements  could  be  written 
on  the  back  of  an  envelope? 

An  architect  in  a  Southern  city  aspired  to  be  a  spe- 
cialist in  the  planning  of  apartment  houses.  He 
read  widely,  made  extended  observations,  studied 
carefully  the  whole  question  of  domestic  architec- 
ture.    In  order  to  complete  his  equipment  the  man 


Problems  in  Housing  the  Sunday  School    65 

became  an  apartment-house  dweller.  He  lived  for 
years  with  his  family  in  successive  apartment  houses 
of  different  types.  Thus  patiently  and  persistently 
he  sought  equipment  for  the  planning  and  designing 
of  apartment  houses.  What  are  we  to  think  of  the 
architect  who  never  designed  a  really  modern  Sun- 
day-school house,  who  knows  little  concerning  the 
requirements  of  the  departmental  school,  who  yet 
will  take  fifty  thousand  dollars,  or  perhaps  even  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  of  consecrated  money  and 
turn  it  into  a  permanent  building  without  taking  the 
pains  to  inform  and  equip  himself  for  his  task? 

There  is  peril  to  the  building  project  in  the  haste 
which  so  often  marks  the  planning  and  erection  of 
our  great  church  buildings.  Roman  Catholics  may 
lay  oif  a  period  of  five  years  or  even  twenty-five 
years  for  the  planning  and  bringing  to  completion  of 
a  really  great  church  building.  Not  so  with  evan- 
gelicals. They  usually  drive  through,  frequently  al- 
lowing less  than  twelve  months  from  the  inception 
of  the  building  idea  to  the  completion  of  the  build- 
ing. All  too  often,  the  most  vital  element  In  the 
whole  building  program,  the  planning  of  the  build- 
ing, the  devising  of  its  floor-space,  is  slurred  over  as 
if  it  were  a  matter  of  little  moment.  The  commu- 
nity which  plans  its  building  with  the  utmost  of  care, 
which  makes  a  study  both  of  buildings  and  of  litera- 
ture on  buildings,  which  confers  with  a  wide  circle 
of  informed  and  interested  workers,  which,  after 
plans  are  maturely  made,  waits  for  sentiment  to  crys- 
tallize and  errors  to  be  detected,  such  community 
will  not  likely  have  much  to  regret  in  its  finished 
building. 


VII 

HOW  TO   SECURE   NEEDED   HOUSING 

THE  requirements  for  the  new  building 
ought  to  be  clearly  stated  and  fully  agreed 
upon.  This  ought,  of  course,  to  be  done 
before  the  architect  begins  his  work.  Indeed,  it 
should  be  a  primary  step  in  the  building  program. 

As  an  illustration  of  what  is  here  meant  and  as 
suggestive  to  prospective  builders,  we  present  the 
schedule  of  requirements  substantially  as  agreed  on 
by  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Eldorado,  Ark.,  for  its 
proposed  new  building: 

The  Auditorium. 

Classic  style,  back  and  side  balconies,  seating  1,200 
normally,  in  emergencies  1,500. 

A'dministrative  Offices. 

Pastor's  study,  pastor's  office,  at  least  one  Sunday- 
school  office  and  a  janitor's  room. 

Social  Provisions. 

Kitchen,  at  least  one  kitchenette  or  dumb  waiters, 
tea  room,  banquet  room,  parlours.  (The  latter  may 
be  used  also  for  Sunday-school  purposes.) 

Sunday-School  Provisions. 

Provide  on  normal  basis  for  a  school  of  1,200 
members,  with  accommodation  for  1,500  under  pres- 
sure. All  general  assemblies  of  the  school  to  be 
held  in  the  main  auditorium. 

^6 


How  to  Secure  Needed  Housing         67 

The  Sunday-school  provisions  to  be  as  follows: 

Square  Dept.  Class 

Pupils  Feet  Room  Rooms 

Cradle  Roll  Class 48  672  1 

Beginners   96  1344             1  8 

Primaries   144  2016             1  12 

Juniors    192  2688             1  20 

Intermediates 192  2688            1  20 

Seniors — 

(Young  People) ...  240  3460            1  8 

Adults   288  4032            1  8 

1200  16,800  7  76 

Sunday-School  Requirements. 

All  department  rooms  to  be  sufficiently  sound- 
proof to  admit  of  departmental  work  and  worship 
throughout  the  school. 

All  class  rooms  above  the  Primary  Department  to 
have  plastered  walls  and  tight-fitting  doors. 

All  class  rooms  to  open  from  the  department  room 
with  which  they  are  associated. 

Department  rooms  to  be  so  located  as  to  permit 
easy  and  ready  assembly  in  the  main  auditorium.  No 
single  entrance  to  the  auditorium  to  be  used  by  more 
than  two  departments. 

Since  a  normal  and  evidently  fair  standard  was 
followed  in  the  allotment  of  space  there  were  no 
questions  and  no  contests  between  the  various  de- 
partments as  to  what  was  a  just  proportion  of  space. 
Since  the  architect  was  furnished  with  an  exact 
schedule  of  all  requirements  he  was  able  in  his  first 
effort  to  furnish  almost  exactly  the  floor-space  ar- 
rangements needed.  With  a  few  minor  changes,  his 
plans  were  adopted  and  provisions  made  for  the 
erection  of  the  building. 

It  must  be  at  once  apparent  that  this  plan  offers 


68  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

material  advantages  over  the  haphazard  methods  fre- 
quently resorted  to.  It  saves  time  for  the  church,  it 
saves  expense  for  the  architect;  it  assures  adequate 
and  proportionate  provision  for  each  department  in 
the  Sunday  school;  it  guarantees  proper  provisions 
for  all  types  of  church  activity. 

Let  us  set  this  same  scientific  plan  of  procedure 
over  against  another  adopted  by  a  church  in  a  dif- 
ferent state.  It  became  known  that  the  church 
wished  to  build.  Architects,  keen  to  secure  the 
work,  drew  and  offered  tentative  plans.  Having  no 
agreed  schedule,  they  surmised  the  various  require- 
ments and  made  rough  guesses  as  to  relative  space 
for  the  departments.  They  made  attractive  pictures 
of  the  buildings  which  they  proposed.  The  commit- 
tee was  charmed  by  a  certain  beautiful  picture  and 
chose  the  architect  on  that  basis,  supposing  that  it 
would  be  easy  enough  to  allot  and  arrange  the  floor 
space  to  meet  all  needs.  It  developed  that  their  re- 
quirements could  not  be  met  within  the  limits  pro- 
vided and  later  it  developed  that  the  architect,  having 
no  experience  in  meeting  the  problems  in  hand,  was 
unable  to  grasp  and  solve  the  problems.  The  com- 
mittee wished  to  be  released,  but  the  architect,  hav- 
ing a  signed  contract  and  having  expended  much 
labour,  was  unwilling  to  release  them.  This  is 
where  the  case  stood  when  these  lines  were  written. 

The  two  instances,  above  mentioned,  which  might 
be  multiplied  many  times,  sufficiently  illustrate  and 
enforce  our  plea  for  a  sane,  scientific  schedule  to  be 
agreed  on  as  the  primary  step  in  the  building  pro- 
gram.   Supposing  that  this  schedule  of  needs  for  the 


How  to  Secure  Needed  Housing         69 

church,  the  Sunday  school,  the  social  life  and  the  ad- 
ministrative features  has  been  carefully  worked  out, 
it  should  then  be  submitted  to  a  number  of  thought- 
ful workers,  pastors,  superintendents  and  Sunday- 
school  field  workers  for  their  frank  suggestions. 
Meantime  it  is  well  for  the  architect  to  be  fully  ad- 
vised in  order  that  he  may  be  intelligently  sympa- 
thetic as  regards  the  ideals  and  the  details  of  the  pro- 
posed plan.  When  the  architect  has  prepared  pre- 
liminary sketches  showing  the  floor-plan  arrange- 
ments, these  should  be  carefully  scrutinized  by  a 
goodly  group  whose  judgment  can  be  trusted. 

The  leading  denominations  have  architectural  de- 
partments created  to  guide  and  serve  the  churches  in 
these  important  developments.  These  departments 
may  render  invaluable  service.  It  should  be  said  in 
this  connection  that  architects  who  have  had  wide 
experience  in  the  planning  of  departmental  Sunday- 
school  buildings  offer  substantial  advantages  over 
architects  who  have  not  had  such  experience.  Care 
should,  of  course,  be  exercised  to  make  sure  that  a 
given  architect  has  not  simply  built  churches  and 
Sunday-school  buildings,  but  that  he  has  erected 
modern  adapted  departmental  Sunday-school  build- 
ings. 

The  architectural  department  of  the  Sunday- 
School  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  has  proposed  the  following: 

Standard  for  Church  Buildings 
I.     The  main  auditorium  shall  provide  as  many 
sittings  as  the  churcli  has  members  enrolled  in  its 
membership. 


yo  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

2.  There  shall  be  a  secondary  auditorium  suitable 
for  the  prayer-meeting  and  other  week-day  gather- 
ings. This  room  should  offer  about  one-fourth  as 
many  sittings  as  the  main  auditorium.  (One  of  the 
departmental  assembly  rooms  may  be  used  as  a  sec- 
ondary auditorium.) 

3.  There  shall  be  a  pastor's  study  or  office,  and  at 
least  one  additional  office  for  church  or  Sunday- 
school  workers. 

4.  There  shall  be  separate  rooms  for  the  Cradle 
Roll  Class  and  for  the  Beginners'  and  Primary  De- 
partments. 

5.  Department  rooms  and  separate  class  rooms 
shall  be  provided  for  the  Junior,  Intermediate,  Senior 
and  Adult  Departments.  All  department  rooms 
should  be  sound-proof  so  as  to  permit  department 
programs  and  worship.  (The  number  provided  for 
in  the  assembly  room  of  any  given  department  should 
be  about  equal  to  the  number  provided  for  in  the 
class  rooms  designed  for  that  department.)  These 
department  assembly  rooms  will  usually  offer  suit- 
able provisions  for  the  young  people's  societies.  Spe- 
cial care  should  be  exercised  to  see  that  ample  pro- 
visions are  made  for  all  the  needs  and  uses  of  the 
young  people's  societies. 

6.  Unless  there  are  permanent  local  conditions 
which  justify  a  departure,  the  relative  space  allowed 
for  each  department  must  be  in  proportion  to  the 
numbers  which  may  properly  be  expected  in  each 
department,  as  follows: 

Age 
Cradle  Roll  Class...       3 

Beginners    4-5 

Primaries 6-8 

Juniors    9-12 

Intermediates    13-16 

Seniors — 

(  Young  People  )  . .    1 7-24 
Adults   25  up 


4  per  cent. 
8    " 

of  the  whole  school 
«    «        ((         « 

12    " 

(( 

<< 

<( 

tt 

u 

16    " 

(( 

<( 

(( 

(I 

tt 

16    " 

(( 

(( 

(< 

<( 

(» 

20    " 
24    " 

(( 
(( 

tt 

tt 

How  to  Secure  Needed  Housing         71 

The  Cradle  Roll  Class  room  should  be  half  as 
large  as  the  Beginners'  room.  The  Primary  room 
should  be  fifty  per  cent,  larger  than  the  Beginners* 
room,  while  the  space  allowed  for  the  Juniors  and 
Intermediates  should  be  twice  as  large  as  that  allot- 
ted to  the  Beginners.  The  space  for  Seniors  should 
be  two-and-a-half  times  as  large  as  the  Beginners' 
room,  and  that  for  Adults  should  be  three  times  as 
large.  (The  Adults  may  well  use  the  main  audito- 
rium for  assembly,  in  which  case  the  requirement  for 
this  department  will  be  correspondingly  lessened.) 

For  each  pupil  in  the  Sunday  school  from  the 
Cradle  Roll  Class  up,  there  should  be  an  allowance  of 
fourteen  square  feet.  Thus  for  forty  Primaries  there 
should  be  an  allowance  of  560  square  feet ;  for  sixty 
Juniors  we  should  allow  840  square  feet.  This  al- 
lowance of  fourteen  square  feet  should  be  made  for 
each  pupil,  whether  or  not  separate  class  rooms  are 
provided.  Thus  the  Junior  Department  of  sixty 
members  should  allow  a  total  of  840  square  feet,  half 
of  this  being  given  to  assembly  and  half  to  class 
rooms. 

(For  fuller  discussion  of  the  space  needed  for 
each  pupil  and  for  each  department,  see  booklet, 
"  Building  for  the  Sunday  School,"  issued  by  the 
Sunday-School  Board's  Architectural  Department, 
Nashville,  Tenn.) 

7.  At  least  two  entrances  (preferably  four)  into 
the  main  auditorium  shall  be  provided  to  facilitate 
the  quick  assemblage  of  the  whole  Sunday  school. 
(It  is  assumed  that  all  assemblies  of  the  school  will 
be  held  in  the  main  auditorium.) 

8.  There  must  be  a  kitchen  and  suitable  provi- 
sions for  social  functions,  such  as  plays,  musicals, 
entertainments,  luncheons,  and  banquets.  (Social 
life  may  well  be  administered  departmentally  and 
hence  the  department  rooms  may  well  be  used  for 


72  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

social  functions.     See  booklet,  "  Building  for  Social 
Life/'  issued  by  the  Architectural  Department.) 

9.  There  shall  be  a  baptistry  and  suitable  robing 
rooms.  Toilets  must  be  provided  for  men  and  for 
women. 

10.  There  must  be  a  suitable  room  for  the  janitor. 
(Many  churches  are  providing  for  the  janitor  both  a 
living-room  and  a  v^ork-room.) 

Note, — In  the  case  of  small  buildings,  several  of 
the  above  points  v^ill  not  be  rigidly  insisted  upon. 

Note. — Any  building  reasonably  meeting  the  re- 
quirements of  this  standard  W\\\  be  declared  a  stand- 
ard building,  and  the  name  of  the  church  v^ill  be 
entered  upon  a  special  honour  roll. 


VIII 

SOME   GOOD   CHURCH   AND    SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL   BUILDINGS 

IN  preceding  chapters  we  have  set  forth  the  gen- 
eral requirements  for  the  Sunday  school.  In 
this  chapter  we  present  some  buildings  from 
small  to  large  which  fairly  illustrate  the  present 
trend  in  providing  for  the  departmental  Sunday 
school. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  smaller  buildings  pro- 
vide for  the  use  of  the  same  floor  space  for  audito- 
rium purposes  and  for  Sunday-school  work.  This 
arrangement  is  desirable  for  economy  and  for  prac- 
tical service.  In  larger  buildings  it  is,  of  course, 
generally  desirable  to  have  the  auditorium  complete 
without  Sunday-school  evidences.  This  involves 
rather  large  expenditure  and  hence  we  present  some 
buildings  of  the  unified  type  which  group  Sunday- 
school  provisions  about  the  main  auditorium. 

In  all  of  the  larger  plans  which  we  offer,  there  is 
a  ground  floor  utilized  for  Sunday-school  purposes. 
Properly  treated,  the  ground  floor  offers  large  re- 
sults at  small  cost.  If  cement  floor  is  objectionable, 
wood  floors  may  be  laid  or  the  cement  floor  may  be 
covered  with  linoleum  or  cork  carpet. 

The  buildings  which  are  presented  in  these  pages 
have  been  erected  or  are  in  course  of  construction. 

73 


74 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


R.  H.  Hunt,  Architect. 

A  simple  design  marking  a  distinct  step  beyond  the  one- 
room  building.  This  plan  has  met  with  much  favour, 
having  been  erected  with  slight  variations  in  several 
states. 

Auditorium  proper  seats 170 

Adjoining  rooms  seat 130 

Total  seating  capacity •^00 


Good  Church  and  Sunday-School  Buildings    75 


An  attractive  design  providing  expanding  auditorium 
and  excellent  Sunday-school  equipment.  Lighted  and 
ventilated  by  clear  story  windows.  This  design  is  suit- 
able for  country,  village  or  city. 

Auditorium  proper  seats 1 50 

Adjoining  rooms  seat 125 


Total  seating  capacity 275 


76 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


An  attractive  design  with   unusually  flexible  and  eco- 
nomical provisions  for  church  and  Sunday-school  work. 


Good  Church  and  Sunday-School  Buildings   77 


•Main    ftooB.  ?l/vn- 

Typical  design  which  has  much  to  commend  it.  Ground 
floor  and  balcony  floor  plans  are  shown  on  the  following 
pages. 


78 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


Ground  Floor  Plan 

(Main  floor  plan  is  given  on  preceding  pajje  and  bal- 
cony floor  plan  on  the  following  page.) 


Good  Church  and  Sunday-School  Buildings    79 


€t     0      m     m     m     m 

Balcony  Floor  Plan 
(Main  and  ground  floors  on  preceding  pages.) 


8o 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


Good  Church  and  Sunday-School  Buildings  81 


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IX 

REMODELING   PRESENT   BUILDINGS 

WE  cannot  too  earnestly  insist  that  Sun- 
day-school success  must  depend  largely 
upon  sufficient  and  adequate  housing. 
Perhaps  the  reader  has  felt  some  sinking  of  heart  as 
he  has  passed  through  the  preceding  chapters  which 
urge  the  need  for  new  and  adequate  buildings,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  he  cannot  hope  for  a  new  building  in 
his  community.  Even  so,  there  may  yet  be  hope. 
Any  present  building  may  be  remodeled,  or  an  inex- 
pensive separate  building  may  be  erected  to  house 
certain  departments. 

The  remodeling  of  buildmgs  with  a  view  to  house 
the  modern  Sunday  school  involves  serious  difficul- 
ties. Architects  with  wide  and  successful  experi- 
ences in  designing  modern  church  buildings  should 
be  sought  for  this  service.  The  problems  involved 
in  the  remodeling  of  larger  buildings  are  so  many 
and  so  complex,  it  is  impracticable  to  offer  here  sug- 
gestions or  illustrations.  The  case  is  different  with 
smaller  buildings.  It  is  estimated  that  we  have  in 
this  country  60,000  one-room  church  buildings.  Out 
of  these  small  churches  must  come  many  of  our 
leaders  in  all  walks  of  life,  men  and  women  who  will 
be  widely  Influential.  It  must  be  evident  that  the 
Interests  of  these  churches  merit  earnest  considera- 
tion. 

82 


Remodeling  Present  Buildings  83 

We  present  in  the  following  pages  drawings  and 
suggestions  for  the  remodeling  of  these  one-room 
church  buildings.  The  drawings  are  for  the  most 
part  taken  from  a  booklet,  "Approved  Plans  for  Re- 
modeling Church  Buildings,"  prepared  by  the  au- 
thor, and  offered  without  charge  by  the  Architec- 
tural Department  of  the  Baptist  Sunday-School 
Board,  Nashville,  Tenn.  The  methods  of  remodel- 
ing presented  and  illustrated  in  this  booklet  suggest 
a  variety  of  ways  in  which  the  one-room  building 
may  be  improved.     These  include  the  following: 

Addition  in  front  of  present  building. 

Addition  to  the  back  of  present  building. 

Addition  both  at  front  and  back  of  present 
building. 

Addition  of  one  story  m  rear. 

Addition  of  one  story  and  basement  in  rear. 

Erection  of  two  stories  and  basement  at  back 
of  present  building. 

Addition  on  one  side  of  present  building. 

Addition  on  both  sides  of  present  building. 

Providing  a  basement  floor. 

Utilizing  a  present  basement. 

Installing  a  balcony. 

Erection  of  porch. 

Securing  a  vestibule. 

Installing  a  baptistry. 

Providing  for  a  kitchen  and  for  social  life. 

Providing  for  a  furnace. 

Providing  for  Delco  electric  light. 

Adding  a  cupola  or  belfry. 

Providing  a  porte-cochere  (covered  drive- 
way). 

Interior  alterations. 

Interior  decorations. 


84 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


SKETCH  OF  ADDmCtJ  ro 
OLD  BRtCK  CHURCH 


V.  P.  Collins,  Architect 


Showing  how  a  one-room  building  may  be  transformed  into  an 
attractive  church  house  with  facihties  for  modern  church  and 
Sundav-school  work. 


Remodeling  Present  Buildings  85 


86  A  Successful  Sunday  School 


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A  Successful  Sunday  School 


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Addition  may  be  made  both  at  the  back  and  on 
the  sides  of  the  present  building. 


90 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


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X 

EQUIPMENT  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

SUCCESSFUL  Sunday  schools  can  neither  be 
built  nor  run  by  little  men.  There  must  at 
least  be  one  big  man.  Big  Sunday  schools  can- 
not be  run  with  little  methods.  They  cannot  be  run 
with  little  money.  The  church  which  plans  to  spend 
$2,000  for  its  music  and  depends  on  the  offerings  of 
the  pupils  to  defray  the  Sunday-school  expenses,  will 
probably  always  have  a  little  Sunday  school. 

Sunday  schools  must  be  financed  in  a  big  way.  It 
is  a  law  of  life  that  we  rarely  get  much  more  out  of 
things  than  we  put  in.  If  we  put  pennies  and  nickels 
into  the  Sunday  school,  we  will  get  back  meager  re- 
sults. The  Sunday  schools  which  have  grown  really 
great  have  been  generously  financed.  The  First 
Baptist  Church,  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  has  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  expended  many  thousands  of  dollars 
annually  in  supporting  its  great  Sunday-school  pro- 
gram. 

All  of  this  is  said  with  peculiar  reference  to  equip- 
ment. At  this  point  our  churches  are  in  special  peril 
of  short-sighted  policies.  So  rapid  has  been  the 
growth  of  the  modern  Sunday  school  there  can  be 
little  wonder  that  it  is  difficult  for  our  churches  to 
grasp  the  necessity  for  ample  and  adapted  equip- 
ment.    Many  of  our  strongest  business  men  grew  up 

91 


92  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

in  little  Sunday  schools  which  were  amply  supported 
by  the  tiny  offerings  of  the  pupils.  The  coming  gen- 
eration which  is  now  being  trained  in  departmental 
Sunday  schools  will  find  it  much  easier  to  meet  ade- 
quately the  equipment  needs  of  the  future  Sunday 
school. 

Equipment  should  be  ample  and  adequate.  Good 
workers  call  for  good  tools.  Poor  and  insufficient 
equipment  will  cheapen  any  Sunday  school.  The 
author  has  occasion  to  inspect  many  new  church 
buildings;  he  often  finds  the  beauty  and  the  useful- 
ness of  these  buildings  marred  by  ill-adapted  fur- 
nishings brought  over  from  old  buildings.  We  may 
direct  attention  to  some  leading  items  in  the  program 
of  furnishings  for  the  Sunday  school. 

Sunday-school  Seating.  Here  we  are,  through  no 
fault  of  our  own,  facing  difficult  conditions.  Through 
the  years  pews  and  opera  chairs  suitable  for  audi- 
toriums of  all  kinds  have  been  produced  which,  in 
quality  and  variety,  leave  little  to  be  desired.  As 
yet  the  market  for  Sunday-school  seating  has  not 
stabilized  and  we  must,  for  the  most  part,  use  such 
selections  as  we  may  be  able  to  make  from  types  of 
seats  really  produced  for  other  purposes.  It  will 
perhaps  require  some  years  to  remedy  this  situation. 
The  Sunday  school  is  entitled  to  have  types  of  seat- 
ing, and  indeed  furnishings  throughout,  especially 
adapted  to  meet  its  peculiar  requirements. 

It  is  difficult  to  offer  general  hints  concerning  seat- 
ing for  the  Sunday  school.  We  may  safely  venture 
the  following  suggestions: 

While  pews  are  most  suitable  for  the  main  audi- 


Equipment  for  the  Sunday  School        93 

torium,  they  are  not  adapted  for  use  anywhere  in  the 
Sunday  school  and  should  not  be  considered. 

Opera  chairs  may  be  used  in  certain  departments, 
provided  there  is  no  necessity  to  clear  the  room  for 
any  purpose.  Since  this  matter  of  clearing  the  room 
and  changing  it  temporarily  for  social  or  other  pur- 
poses is  important,  opera  chairs  are  not  to  be  gen- 
erally recommended. 

If  folding  chairs  are  to  be  used,  care  must  be  ex- 
ercised in  their  selection,  lest  they  be  stiff  in  open- 
ing and  noisy  in  use.  The  author  knows  a  junior 
department  which  has  felt  itself  greatly  hampered  by 
a  slight  creak  in  the  folding  chairs  which  it  seems 
cannot  be  remedied,  and  which  causes  slight  but  very 
real  annoyance. 

A  study  of  the  catalogues  of  houses  which  offer 
furniture  for  schools  and  churches,  will  show  a 
variety  of  chairs  which,  by  care  in  selection,  will  as- 
Gure  reasonably  satisfactory  results. 

Sunday-school  Cabinets.  Here  again  we  are  in  a 
transition  state.  For  the  time  being  we  must  use  for 
the  most  part  cabinets  ;A^hich  have  been  produced  for 
other  purposes.  Cabinets  built-in,  and  thus  perma- 
nent, adapted  and  always  available,  are  much  to  be 
preferred.  Resourceful  architects,  guided  by 
thoughtful  building  committees,  can  usually  find 
space  for  this  purpose  which  might  be  otherwise 
useless,  though  it  ought  to  be  said  that  this  question 
of  suitable  cabinet  space  is  of  such  vital  importance 
that  it  should  not  be  determined  alone  by  questions 
of  convenience  and  economy. 

Our  purpose,  however,  in  mentioning  cabinets  at 


94  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

this  time  is  to  insist  upon  the  necessity  of  abundant 
and  convenient  storage  space  for  the  whole  school, 
for  each  department  and  for  each  class. 

Blackboards.  Sunday-school  workers  who  have 
no  occasion  to  frequent  public-school  buildings 
would  do  well  on  many  accounts  to  visit  some  well- 
equipped  public-school  buildings.  It  may  be  inter- 
esting to  note  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  black- 
boards provided.  Sunday-school  workers  will  do 
well  to  study  the  methods  and  the  equipment  of 
well-appointed  day-school  buildings. 

We  offer  below  suggestive  lists  of  furnishings  for 
each  department,  as  offered  in  standards  of  effi- 
ciency adopted  by  the  Sunday-School  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and 
as  is  set  forth  in  a  special  booklet  published  by  the 
Architectural  Department  of  that  Board. 

The  Cradle  Roll  Class  Room 

1.  A  low  table  for  the  teacher. 

2.  A  piano  (not  always  considered  necessary). 

3.  Chairs  (ten  inches  high),  a  special  chair  for 
the  member  whose  birthday  is  to  be  celebrated. 

4.  A  cradle  or  Wall  Cradle  Roll. 

5.  Hooks  for  hats,  coats,  etc. 

6.  Suitable  pictures  for  the  walls. 

7.  A  suitable  marker  indicating  "  The  Cradle 
Roll  Class." 

8.  Suitable  floor  covering. 

9.  A  cabinet  for  supplies.  Workers'  Library, 
with  suitable  case. 

10.  Cut  flowers  and  growing  plants. 

11.  Blackboard  and  burlap  to  which  pictures  can 
be  pinned. 


Equipment  for  the  Sunday  School        95 

Beginners'  Department 

1.  A  table  for  the  superintendent  and  a  desk  for 
the  secretary. 

2.  Place  for  keeping  supplies  under  lock  and 
key,  preferably  a  closet  or  built-in  cabinet. 

3.  A  Bible  for  the  department.  (Department 
name  stamped  in  gold  on  back.) 

4.  A  piano. 

5.  Chairs  suited  to  the  size  of  the  children  (ten 
inches  high). 

6.  Flowers,  occasionally  cut  flowers  or  growing 
plants. 

7.  Hooks  for  hats,  coats,  etc.  (preferably  a  cloak 
room). 

8.  Suitable  pictures  for  the  walls. 

9.  A  mounted  portable  blackboard  about  three  by 
five  feet. 

10.  A  timepiece. 

11.  A  thermometer. 

12.  Workers'  Library,  with  suitable  case. 

13.  A  suitable  marker  over  the  door  of  entrance 
indicating  '*  The  Beginners'  Department." 

14.  Suitable  floor-covering. 

Primary  Department 

1.  Superintendent's  desk. 

2.  Secretary's  desk. 

3.  Chairs  suited  to  the  size  of  pupils  (twelve 
inches  high).    ' 

4.  Piano. 

5.  Bibles  for  the  department. 

6.  A  mounted  blackboard  about  three  by  five 
feet,  and  each  class  furnished  with  a  blackboard  or 
at  least  a  lapboard. 

7.  Flowers — cut  flowers  or  growing  plants. 

8.  Hooks  for  hats,  coats,  etc.  (preferably  a  cloak 
room). 


96 


A  Successful  Sunday  School 


9.     Low  tables,  provided  there  is  also  assembly 
space. 

10.  A  timepiece. 

11.  A  thermometer. 

12.  A  suitable  marker  over  the  door  of  entrance 
indicating  '*  The  Primary  Department." 

13.  Suitable  floor-covering. 

14.  Place  for  keeping  supplies  under  lock  and  key^ 
preferably  a  closet  or  a  built-in  cabinet. 

15.  Library  for  children  and  for  workers,  in  suit 
able  case. 

16.  Suitable  pictures  for  the  walls. 


The  Albright  Table 
(Offered  by  Clanton  and  Webb,  Atlanta,  Ga.) 


The  Bapsubo  Table 

(Offered  by  the  Baptist  Sunday  School  Board, 
Nashville,  Tenn.) 


Equipment  for  the  Sunday  School        97 


The  Victory  Table 
(Offered  by  DeLong-Svoboda  Co.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.) 


Junior  Department 

1.  Superintendent's  table. 

2.  Secretary's  desk. 

3.  Chairs  and  tables   suited  to  the  size  of  thd 

pupils. 

4.  Mounted  blackboards  about  three  by  five  feet, 
and  each  class  furnished  with  a  class  blackboard. 

5.  A  piano. 

6.  Cabinet  for  curios  and  collections. 

7.  Closet  or  cabinet  for  literature  and  supplies. 

8.  Maps  appropriate  for  the  lessons  being  taught. 

9.  Suitable  pictures  for  the  walls,  charts  and  a 
United  States  flag  and  a  Christian  flag. 

10.  Hooks  for  hats,  coats,  etc. 

11.  Timepiece  and  a  thermometer. 

12.  Suitable  floor-covering. 

13.  A  marker  over  the  door  of  entrance  indicating 
"  The  Junior  Department." 

14.  Bookcase  for  Junior  Library.     Books  both  for 
pupils  and  for  workers. 


98  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

iNTEnMEDIATE,    SENIOR    AND    AdULT    DEPARTMENTS. 

/.     Department  Rooms 

1.  Superintendent's  desk. 

2.  Secretary's  desk. 

3.  Chairs. 

4.  Piano. 

5.  Bibles  for  the  department. 

6.  A   mounted  blackboard   about   three   by  five 
feet,  and  each  class  furnished  with  a  blackboard. 

7.  Department   blackboard    ruled   for    class   re- 
ports. 

8.  Suitable  pictures  and  maps  for  the  walls. 

9.  Flowers — cut  flowers  or  growing  plants. 

10.  Hooks    for   hats,    coats    (preferably    a    cloak 
room). 

11.  A  timepiece. 

12.  A  thermometer. 

13.  A  marker  over  the  door  of  entrance  indicat- 
ing the  department. 

14.  Bookcase    with    books    both    for    pupils    and 
workers. 

15.  Suitable  floor-coverings. 


II.     Class  Rooms 

Table  with  drawer. 

Chairs. 

Blackboard  with  chalk  rail. 

Bibles. 

Pictures  and  maps. 

Standards  of  Excellence. 

Certificate  of  Registration. 

Suitable  floor-coverings. 

MarJ^er  indicating  the  name  of  the  class. 


Equipment  for  the  Sunday  School        99 


A  class  room  cabinet  to  be  built  in  wall  or  door  of  class 
room  with  two  doors,  one  opening  in  class  room,  the  other 
opening  in  corridor  or  department  room. 


XI 

HOW  TO  BUILD  A  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

THERE  is  no  easy  way  to  build  a  large  and 
successful  Sunday  school.  We  present  in 
this  chapter  what  seems  to  be  a  perfectly 
natural  and  sure  and  scientific  method  of  building  a 
Sunday  school.  This  method  has  been  tested  in  all 
parts  of  the  land.  Sunday  schools  using  this  method 
have  again  and  again  doubled  and  even  trebled  their 
membership.  The  author  may  speak  with  some  as- 
surance since  he  was  personally  associated  with  a 
Sunday  school  in  Nashville,  Term.,  in  which  the  plan 
was  tried  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Arthur  Flake, 
a  specialist  in  Sunday- School  Administration.  The 
following  increases  speak  for  themselves: 


Average  attendance  for  September,  1920  —      331 
Average  attendance  for  January,  1921   758 

Officers  and  teachers,  September,  1920 42 

Officers  and  teachers,  January,   1921    91 

Weekly  offering,  September,  1920   $19.21 

Weekly  offering,  January,   1921    65.12 


T.    Assuming    that    the    enlargement   is    coming, 
make  plans  to  care  for  the  increase.    In  the  effort 

100 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School         loi 

mentioned,  the  first  move  was  to  select  and  assign  to 
the  different  departments  a  large  number  of  possible 
prospective  teachers.  These,  together  with  the  pres- 
ent officers  and  teachers,  were  carefully  instructed  in 
a  training  school  which  continued  one  week,  the  daily 
program  being  as  follows : 

Meet  in  classes  by  departments,  6  :oo  to  6 145  p.  M. 
Lunch  free  to  all,  6:45  to  7:15. 
Again  meet  in  classes  by  departments,  7:15  to  8:00. 
Address,  8  :oo  to  8 145. 

At  the  close  of  the  week,  there  was,  for  each  de- 
partment, a  group  of  departmental  workers  who  had 
studied  under  competent  guidance  a  selected  book 
treating  the  department  in  which  they  were  expected 
to  work.  It  may  be  profitable  to  name  here  the 
books  used  in  this  course: 

"  Plans  and  Programs  for  Cradle  Roll,  Beginners, 
and  Primary  Workers,"  by  Miss  A.  L.  Williams. 

"  Our  Juniors,  How  to  Teach  and  Train  Them," 
by  Miss  Baldwin. 

"The  Intermediate  Department  of  the  Sunday 
School,"  by  L.  P.  Leavell. 

"  Building  the  Bible  Class  "  (Strickland,  McGloth- 
lin). 

By  this  means  a  tentative  organization  was  formed 
to  care  for  the  large  numbers  which  were  now  con- 
fidently expected. 

2.  Take  a  religious  census.  This  should  be  done 
by  the  church  which  is  launching  the  movement  for 
the  enlargement  of  the  Sunday  school.    This  church 


102  A  Successful  Sunday  Schcx>l 

will  be  concerned  to  cover  the  territory,  will  have  a 
special  incentive  to  do  careful  and  thorough  work, 
and  will  need  this  opportunity  to  let  the  whole  com- 
munity know  that  it  plans  to  meet  its  obligations  in 
the  matter  of  its  Bible  School. 

The  successive  steps  will  be  somewhat  as  follows: 

(i)  Secure  needed  supplies. 

The  supplies  needed  will  be  somewhat  as  follows: 

(a)  Cards  for  the  records  of  the  canvass. 


Use  a  Card  for  Each  Individual* 

Name 

Number Street 

Age  (exact  age,  if  possible) 

Church  Member? . 

Answer  "yes  "  or  **  no." 

Denominational  Preference? 

If  no  preference,  write  "  none." 

If  each  blank  is  not  filled  in,  the  information  is  incomplete. 


(b)  Cards  of  instruction  to  census-takers — at  least 
a  card  for  each  worker.  These  cards  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  workers,  as  well  as  for  the  records 
of  the  census,  may  be  printed  locally,  or  may  be  se- 
cured from  the  Sunday-school  publishing  houses. 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School         103 


**  Lift  ttp  yout  eyes  and  look  on  the  f ields*'' 

Instructions  to  census- takers  : 

"'■  Master  the  rules  before  starting  out.     Know  where  you  are 
to  go  and  what  you  are  to  do. 

1.  Use  a  card  for  each  individual.     Write  only  one  name 
on  a  card. 

2.  Do  the  writing  yourself.     Do  not  allow  any  one  else  to 
do  it.     Be  accurate. 

3.  Fill  in  each  blank  on  each  card  or  the  information  will  be 
incomplete  and  useless.     Be  accurate. 

4.  Get  the  exact  age  of  each  individual  up  to  20  years  of 
age.     Over  20  and  under  31,  write  "  20-31."     Over  31,  write 

"  31+  ." 

5.  Stick  to  your  own  territory.     Don't  miss  anybody.     Be 
accurate. 

6.  When  your  territory  is  finished,  return  the  information 
immediately  to  the  Church. 


(2)  Plan  for  needed  canvassers. 

A  large  number  will  be  needed,  as  the  work  ought 
to  be  done  expeditiously  as  well  as  thoroughly. 
With  proper  instruction  and  guidance,  interested 
workers  with  or  without  special  equipment,  ought  to 
render  acceptable  service.  Boys  and  girls  fifteen 
years  of  age  and  up  will  do  excellent  service,  espe- 
cially if  they  are  associated  in  pairs  with  persons  of 
mature  years. 

The  list  of  census  takers  should  be  carefully  made 
up;  it  is  not  wise  to  depend  upon  such  a  group  as 
may  appear  at  the  church  at  a  given  hour  in  response 
to  public  appeals.  The  business  in  hand  is  serious, 
and  the  work  proposed  calls  for  intelligence  and 
sacrifice. 


104  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

(3)  Define  and  carefully  survey  the  territory  to 
be  canvassed. 

It  will  of  course  be  necessary  to  define  clearly  the 
territory  which  is  to  be  canvassed. 

There  is  no  occasion  to  be  unduly  scrupulous 
about  boundary  lines.  Your  purpose  is  to  secure  in- 
formation about  people  who  attend  no  Sunday  school 
and  who  might  properly  or  profitably  be  invited  to 
join  your  school.  Incidentally  you  may  secure  much 
information  which  will  be  of  value  to  workers  in 
other  schools,  and  such  information  may  well  be 
handed  to  other  superintendents  entitled  to  it. 

It  will  also  be  necessary  to  survey  and  subdivide 
the  territory  with  much  care.  Generally  a  commu- 
nity map  can  be  secured  which  will  furnish  an  ac- 
curate basis  for  this  survey.  This  is  always  a  critical 
point  in  the  program.  Careless  or  haphazard  meth- 
ods of  districting  the  territory  may  result  in  con- 
fusion or  the  neglect  of  certain  sections.  Let  a  com- 
petent committee  have  charge  of  this  task  and  let 
the  work  be  done  with  painstaking  care. 

We  have  known  several  copies  of  a  city  map  to  be 
cut  up  so  as  to  give  to  each  couple  of  canvassers  a 
map  of  the  precise  section  for  which  they  will  be  held 
responsible.  We  have  known  outline  pencilled 
sketches  to  be  made  of  territory  to  be  assigned  to 
each  couple. 

(4)  Plan  to  canvass  the  whole  territory  in  one 
afternoon.  This  has  in  practice  proven  most  satis- 
factory. Sunday  afternoon  will  usually  be  the  most 
suitable  time.  Call  the  workers  together  for  a  brief 
season  of  prayer  and  for  such  final  instructions  as 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School         105 

may  seem  to  be  needed.  Send  out  the  canvassers 
two  and  two.  The  reasons  for  going  in  couples  must 
be  apparent;  they  are  practically  the  same  as  when 
the  Lord  Jesus  suggested  this  arrangement  nearly 
two  thousand  years  ago. 

Some  things  need  to  be  especially  insisted  upon  in 
this  final  meeting: 

Every  home  where  white  people  live  is  to  be 
risited. 

A  separate  card  is  to  be  filled  out  for  every  indi- 
vidual in  the  home,  from  the  babe  to  the  aged  shut- 
in,  not  forgetting  servants  and  other  employees. 

Homes  where  no  one  is  found  are  to  be  carefully 
noted  and  reported  so  that  they  may  be  visited  at  rs 
later  date. 

Accuracy  is  essential.  Errors  in  data  will  seri- 
ously vitiate  the  ends  sought.  Careless  handwriting 
which  cannot  be  read  or  which  may  be  misread  will 
be  a  source  of  much  loss  and  confusion. 

Courtesy  and  tact  will  usually  open  the  way  into 
any  home.  If,  for  any  reason,  a  home  does  not 
open,  secure  the  best  possible  information  from  a 
next-door  neighbour. 

Say  a  good  word  for  the  Sunday  school.  Apart 
from  all  other  results,  this  making  of  hundreds,  per- 
haps thousands,  of  visits  should  result  in  a  wide  ad- 
vertising of  the  school. 

After  the  canvass,  let  prompt  returns  be  made  at 
the  church  where  a  committee  will  be  receiving  re- 
ports and  checking  off  the  territory  as  they  find  it  has 
been  covered. 

3.    On  the  basis  of  the  census  returns  and  addi- 


lo6  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

tional  data  gleaned  from  the  present  church 
and  Sunday-school  rolls,  grade  and  classify  the 
names  of  ail  who  ought  to  be  members  of  your 
school. 

Just  here  is  where  defeat  is  frequently  met.  It  is 
easy  enough  in  a  rush  of  glad  enthusiasm  to  take  the 
census  and  get  the  desired  information.  It  is  not  easy 
— it  requires  the  finest  skill  and  the  utmost  persist- 
ence— ^properly  to  use  the  valuable  information  se- 
cured by  the  canvass. 

In  order  to  make  clear  what  is  meant  by  the  above 
statement,  let  us  set  forth  a  concrete  case.  Out  of 
the  returns  from  a  given  census  all  the  names  which 
seemed  to  be  "  possibilities "  were  listed.  To  this 
list  were  added  any  names  of  members  of  the  school 
which  might  have  been  overlooked.  Thus  a  roll  was 
secured  consisting  of  all  present  members  and  all  pos- 
sible members  of  the  school.  This  list  numbering 
upwards  of  two  thousand  was  treated  as  the 
school's  roll  of  membership.  This  membership  was 
carefully  divided  into  grades  and  departments,  and 
classes  were  formed  with  teachers  throughout  each 
department. 

Thus  the  school  at  once  numbered  upwards  of  two 
thousand  on  paper.  There  were  more  than  one  hun- 
dred classes,  many  of  them  paper  classes,  and  all  of 
the  classes  comprising  names  which  were  only  po- 
tentially members  of  the  school.  Thus  the  school  of 
about  six  hundred  members  became  at  once  a  school 
with  an  enrollment  of  upwards  of  two  thousand. 
From  fifty  classes  or  fewer,  the  school  went  imme- 
diately to  more  than  one  hundred  classes.    All  that 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School         107 

was  needed  was  to  make  the  paper  school  a  real 
school. 

The  departmental  officers  leading  and  inspiring 
their  teachers  set  about  making  the  paper  classes  real 
classes,  and  the  paper  pupils  real  pupils.  It  was  hard 
work.  Some  teachers  were  given  nothing  more  than 
a  list  of  names.  Instead  of  being  called  to  a  well- 
established  class,  a  teacher  was  probably  accorded  a 
space  or  room  with  vacant  seats  and  a  list  of  names 
and  addresses. 

Naturally  there  was  some  loss  and  shrinkage  in 
this  large  school.  The  last  report  the  author  saw 
showed  an  enrollment  of  fifteen  hundred  and  an 
actual  attendance  of  twelve  hundred  and  seventy- 
two.  No  one  will  suppose  for  a  moment  that  such 
results  as  these  are  to  be  achieved  without  very  great 
and  persistent  effort.  It  is  believed  that  the  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  the  method  outlined  in  this 
chapter  are  the  essential  guiding  principles  in  any 
scientific  plan  for  Sunday-school  building. 


XII 

HOW  TO  BUILD  A  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

(Continued) 

IN  the  preceding  chapter,  we  have  outlined  a 
sure  and  scientific  method  of  building  a  Sun- 
day school.  There  are  other  ways  which  have 
been  tried  with  success.  There  are  doubtless  meth- 
ods yet  untried  which  would  succeed.  The  method 
which  we  have  offered  involves  simple  and  perfectly 
natural  steps,  as  follows: 

1.  Form  an  organization  big  and  flexible  enough 
to  take  care  of  the  large  numbers  desired  and  ex- 
pected. 

2.  Find  out  by  a  census  the  names  and  addresses 
of  those  who  ought  to  be  in  the  school. 

3.  Assign  these  names  to  teachers  and  depart- 
mental officers,  and  hold  these  responsible  for  the 
names  assigned. 

Measured  by  standards  and  methods  which  have 
been  tested  in  commercial  life  and  in  all  promotion 
efforts,  this  simple  plan  will  stand  the  test.  Best  of 
all,  great  schools  have  in  various  sections  been  re- 
peatedly built  in  this  way. 

Many  further  suggestions  might  be  made.  Deep 
earnestness,  a  determination  to  succeed,  energy  and 
tact,  these  will  develop  suggestions  and  overcome 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School        109 

obstacles.  We  may  here  indicate  some  methods 
which  under  test  have  proven  their  value.  These 
may  well  be  stated  concretely,  since  they  form  part 
of  a  story  of  enlargement  in  a  school  in  which  the 
author  is  a  worker. 

1.  Growth  by  subdivision.  All  along  the  lines 
new  nuclei  were  formed.  Classes  were  divided  and 
in  some  cases  subdivided.  New  classes  of  many 
kinds  were  started.  When  it  was  seen  that  a  teacher 
had  the  initiative  and  energy  to  build  a  class,  his  (or 
her)  pupils  were  divided  and  a  part  sent  off  to  start 
a  new  class.  The  reward  for  service  was  oppor- 
tunity to  face  new  difficulties,  a  new  start  with  the 
privilege  of  attaining  success  a  second  or  third  time. 
Whole  classes  were  built  up  and  subdivided  into  new 
classes  from  pupils  brought  into  the  school.  Heroic, 
courageous  and  indomitable  spirit  was  manifested. 

2.  Saving  workers  by  tactful  transfer.  Inevi- 
tably a  sudden  enlargement  of  the  force  of  officers 
and  teachers  will  result  in  many  square  pegs  in 
round  holes.  It  may  develop  that  workers  chosen  to 
teach  cannot  succeed  as  teachers,  but  might  make 
successful  secretaries,  or  officers  of  organized 
classes,  and  thus  on  and  on.  It  was  so  in  the  de- 
velopment which  we  are  here  tracing.  The  neces- 
sity for  occasional  transfer  was  emphasized  and  the 
advantages  were  clearly  set  forth.  Thus  workers 
were  saved  from  failure  or  put  in  the  way  to  more 
effective  service. 

3.  Providing  transportation.  In  every  large 
church  there  are  likely  to  be  men  who  operate  trucks 
for  business  uses.    Why  not  utilize  these  trucks  on 


no  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Sunday?  They  can  be  driven  through  outlying  dis- 
tricts having  a  definite  route  and  a  definite  schedule, 
and  bring  scores  of  children.  Streamers  prepared 
for  each  side  of  the  truck  announcing  the  purpose 
or  naming  the  Sunday  school  may  be  a  proper  and 
helpful  advertisement.  The  author  has  seen  this 
plan  work  successfully  in  more  than  one  instance. 

4.  Visitation  Week,  At  first  one  week  was  set 
aside  as  "  Visitation  Week."  During  that  week  six 
hundred  and  twenty-five  visits  were  reported,  while 
probably  as  many  more  were  made  which  were  not 
reported,  since  practically  the  whole  church  went 
afield  on  a  memorable  Sunday  and  the  days  follow- 
ing. The  week  was  so  glorious  and  blessed  it  was 
continued  in  to  a  second  week,  and  upwards  of  six 
hundred  more  visits  were  reported,  making  a  total  in 
two  weeks  of  more  than  twelve  hundred  visits.  Sat- 
urday before  the  first  Sunday  in  each  month  is  desig- 
nated as  "  Visitation  Day "  and  hundreds  of  visits 
are  made  on  this  day. 

5.  The  combined  service.  The  morning  services 
for  teaching  and  for  preaching  were  combined.  In- 
stead of  a  benediction  and  intermission  after  the 
Sunday-school  hour  inviting  children  and  young 
people  to  go  home,  the  Sunday-school  service  was 
merged  into  the  preaching  service.  No  other  one 
thing  could  have  done  so  much  to  put  the  pastor, 
the  deacons,  the  whole  church  influence  back  of  the 
Sunday  school.  The  Sunday  school  has  suffered 
from  nothing  more  than  from  being  regarded  as  a 
sort  of  "  extra,"  "  an  addendum,"  an  "  aside,"  to  the 
church.    The  Sunday  school  will  quickly  come  into 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School         ill 

its  own  when  it  is  regarded  as  a  vital  and  essential 
church  agency  invested  with  the  same  dignity  and 
possessing  many  of  the  possibilities  which  mark  the 
preaching  service. 

6.  A  Bible  Class  conducted  in  a  down-town 
theater  or  public  hall.  An  outline  of  the  methods 
pursued  in  the  conduct  of  a  given  class  may  be  sug- 
gestive. 

How  the  class  was  built  up: 

( 1 )  A  three-inch  two-colimin  "  ad  "  was  inserted 
in  all  of  the  local  daily  papers  every  Saturday  or 
Sunday  morning. 

(2)  Five  thousand  cards,  two  by  six  inches,  were 
distributed  each  week  as  follows:  two  thousand  on 
Saturday  afternoon  were  passed  out  in  the  business 
district,  dropped  in  parked  automobiles,  placed  in 
hotel  room-boxes,  and  left  in  boarding-houses.  The 
remaining  three  thousand  were  similarly  handed  out 
on  Sunday  morning,  beginning  at  8 130  o'clock. 

(3)  Two  buglers  stood  on  street  corners  about  one 
block  in  each  direction  from  the  theater  and  alter- 
nated with  the  ''  army  morning  call."  As  this  at- 
tracted groups  of  men,  cards  were  again  passed  with 
personal  invitation  to  attend  the  Bible  class. 

(4)  Large  placards,  fourteen  by  sixteen  inches, 
were  placed  permanently  for  display  in  show  win- 
dows throughout  the  business  section. 

How  the  class  is  financed: 

Including  the  cost  of  advertising  and  compensa- 
tion for  the  male  quartette,  the  expenses  of  this  Bible 


112  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

class  amounted  to  about  two  hundred  dollars  per 
month.  This  amount  is  easily  raised  by  individual 
offerings  in  the  class.  Each  man  present  is  given 
an  envelope  and  is  asked  to  insert  his  offering  and 
write  his  name  and  address  on  the  envelope. 

How  the  class  is  conducted: 

It  opens  and  closes  on  time. 

There  is  never  an  idle  moment.  No  extra  an- 
nouncements are  permitted.  The  teacher  has  just 
twenty  minutes  for  a  crisp,  thoughtful  lecture  on  the 
International  Sunday-School  Lesson  for  the  day. 
The  class  is  dismissed  promptly  at  10:40,  giving 
ample  time  for  the  men  to  attend  preaching  services 
which  follow  at  eleven  o'clock. 

This  class  is  marked  by  good  cheer  and  a  happy 
fellowship.  It  is  not  a  preaching  service ;  that  comes 
later.  A  good  joke,  a  play  of  wit,  a  bit  of  repartee, 
a  pleasant  surprise,  music  such  as  men  love,  negro 
melodies,  anything,  everything  that  is  bright,  at- 
tractive and  wholesome  is  considered  in  order. 

The  class  is  evangelistic  and  deeply  spiritual. 
With  all  the  merriment,  and  through  all  the  varied 
programs  runs  the  stress  of  a  serious  purpose,  the 
tone  of  deep  earnestness.  The  teacher,  the  pro- 
moters of  the  class,  every  one  connected  with  it 
counts  the  work  of  the  class  as  the  most  genuine  of 
Christian  effort. 

Suffer  a  final  word.  We  have  outlined  above  a 
remarkable  development.  Glancing  back  over  this 
story,  it  is  painfully  clear  that  only  a  rough  outline  is 
given,  only  some  external  steps  are  recorded.    The 


How  to  Build  a  Sunday  School         1 13 

real  story  is  not  told,  perhaps  can  never  be  told.  The 
scaffolding,  the  enclosing  machinery,  the  externals 
of  the  campaign,  are  set  forth.  The  best  things  are 
not  told,  the  relentless  energy  born  of  faith  and  of 
a  vision  of  deep  soul-needs,  the  heroic  and  self-for- 
getting efforts  of  leaders  who,  in  strange  ways,  im- 
parted their  spirit  to  others,  the  instant  willingness 
to  put  self,  time,  automobile,  anything,  everything 
on  the  altar, — these  things  run  along  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  brief  story  which  we  have  outlined. 

It  is  easy  to  tell  of  plans,  machinery,  organiza- 
tion, visits,  outward  efforts.  Some,  alas,  see  only  the 
external  and  hear  only  the  voice  of  the  machinery. 
It  is  not  easy  to  tell  of  the  heart-sweat,  the  tears, 
the  soul-agony,  the  prolonged  waiting  before  God, 
the  tireless  quest.  Perhaps  thoughtful  and  spiritu- 
ally-minded souls  who  read  this  story  told  above  will 
know  instinctively  that  the  real  and  deeper  story  lies 
beneath.  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 


XIII 

ORGANIZATIONS  WHICH  HELP  TO  BUILD 
THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

A  SUCCESSFUL  Sunday  school  must  needs 
be  a  complex  institution  with  many  inter- 
relating agencies  to  which  the  school  con- 
tributes and  which  in  turn  make  contribution  to  the 
life  of  the  school.  There  are  many  organizations 
which  have  proven  helpful  in  the  building  of  Sunday 
schools.  No  one  of  these  is  to  be  launched  or  main- 
tained merely  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  Sunday- 
school  attendance.  They  all  have  their  proper  place 
and  render  their  legitimate  service  which  is  to  be 
kept  always  in  view. 

Organhations  for  Boys  and  Girls: 

An  informing  article  on  "  Community  Organiza- 
tion for  Boys  and  Girls,"  in  "  The  Encyclopsedia  of 
Sunday  Schools  and  Religious  Education"  (Nel- 
son), classifies  such  organizations  as  (i)  religious; 
(2)  semi-religious,  and  (3)  welfare.  The  best 
known  organizations  are  listed  as  follows: 

I.     Religious. 

The  Junior  Baraca  Loyal  Movement,  the  Junior 
Brotherhoods  of  St.  Andrew,  and  of  Andrew  and 
Philip,  the  Junior  and  Intermediate  Christian  En- 

114 


Organizations  Which  Help  115 

deavour  Societies  (including  the  Baptist  Young  Peo- 
ple's Union  and  the  Epworth  League),  the  Mission- 
ary and  Sewing  Circle,  the  Messenger  Cadet  Corps, 
the  Prayer  Band,  the  Boys*  and  Girls'  Choirs,  the 
Dorcas  Circle,  the  Queen  Esther  Circle,  the  Mission- 
ary Class,  the  Temperance  Legion,  the  Philathea 
Class,  the  Standard  Bearers,  the  Life  Saving  Serv- 
ice, the  King's  Sons  and  Daughters,  the  Boy  Trust, 
the  Bethany  Girls,  and  the  Church  Attendance 
League. 

2.  Semi-religious. 

The  Knights  of  King  Arthur,  the  Knights  of  the 
Holy  Grail,  the  Knights  of  Galahad,  the  Knights  of 
Saint  Paul  (Kappa  Sigma  Pi),  the  Epworth  Court 
of  Arthur,  the  Knights  and  Esquires  of  the  White 
Shield,  the  Knights  of  Methodism,  the  Covenanter 
companies  and  Miriam  Chapters,  the  Queens  of  Ava- 
lon,  and  the  Girls'  Friendly  Society. 

3.  Welfare. 

The  Boys'  Brigade,  the  Anti-Cigarette  League,  the 
Mass  Boys'  Qub,  the  Church  Boys'  Club,  the  Wood- 
craft Indians,  the  Boy  Pioneers  or  Sons  of  Daniel 
Boone,  the  Achievement  Club,  the  Girl  Pioneers  of 
America,  the  Boy  Scouts,  the  Camp  Fire  Girls,  the 
Athletic  League  (Simday  school  or  public),  the  Na- 
tional First  Aid  Association,  the  Agricultural  Club 
(corn  or  canning),  and  the  Social  Center, 

Among  the  most  popular  and  helpful  of  the  or- 
ganizations for  boys  and  girls,  we  may  mention  the 
Boy  Scouts  and  its  sister  organization,  The  Girl 
Pioneers  of  America.  We  indicate  below  the 
sources  of  information  for  both  of  these  organiza- 


1 16  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

tions  and  we  need  only  mention  here  some  outstand- 
ing items  in  their  general  program. 

The  Boy  Scouts  of  America  had  its  beginning  in 
this  country  when  it  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  District  of  Columbia  in  1910.  The  new 
organization  proved  popular  and  quickly  absorbed 
all  similar  organizations.  There  are  three  succes- 
sive stages  of  advancement  from  the  tenderfoot,  to 
the  second-class  scout,  to  the  first-class  scout.  The 
scout  law  which  must  be  memorized  and  obeyed 
from  the  tenderfoot  stage  indicates  the  spirit  and  in 
a  measure  the  purpose  of  the  movement: 


I. 

2. 

A  Scout  is  Trustworthy. 
A  Scout  is  Loyal. 

3. 

4. 
5. 

A  Scout  is  Helpful. 
A  Scout  is  Friendly. 
A  Scout  is  Courteous. 

6. 

A  Scout  is  Kind. 

7. 

A  Scout  is  Obedient. 

8. 

A  Scout  is  Cheerful. 

9- 
10. 

A  Scout  is  Thrifty. 
A  Scout  is  Brave. 

II. 

A  Scout  is  Clean. 

12. 

A  Scout  is  Reverent. 

The  Girl  Pioneers  of  America,  companion  organi- 
zation to  the  Boy  Scouts,  offers  outdoor  life  and 
sports  and  seeks  to  develop  strength,  courage  and 
resourcefulness  in  girls.  Every  girl  is  asked  to 
make  the  following  pledge: 

I  will  speak  the  truth  at  all  times. 
I  will  be  honest  in  all  things. 
I  will  obey  the  Pioneer  Law. 


Organizations  Which  Help  1 1 7 

The  Pioneer  Law,  like  tliat  of  the  Boy  Scouts,  em- 
braces twelve  points.    The  Law  is: 

1.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  trustworthy.- 

2.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  helpful  and  kind. 

3.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  reverent. 

4.  A   Girl    Pioneer    chooses    happy,    cheerful, 

wholesome  topics  for  conversation. 

5.  A  Girl  Pioneer  keeps  herself  physically  well 

and  strong. 

6.  A  Girl  Pioneer  Is  self-respecting  and  keeps 

her  thoughts  clean. 

7.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  brave. 

8.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  loyal. 

9.  A  Girl  Pioneer  does  not  speak  ill  of  any 

one. 

10.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  cheerful. 

11.  A  Girl  Pioneer  is  industrious  and  thrifty. 
,  12.  A  Girl  Pioneer  always  remembers  that  peo- 
ple are  worth  more  than  money  or  things, 
and  the  Girl  Pioneer  values  another  for 
what  that  other  really  is,  not  for  what  she 
has. 

Boy  Scout  literature  is  as  follows : 

Baden-Powell,  Sir  Robert.  "  Boy  Scouts  as  a 
National  Organization."     (London,  1910.) 

Baden- Powell,  Sir  Robert.  "  Educational  Possi- 
bilities of  the  Boy  Scouts'  Training."  (London, 
1911.) 

Young,  R.  E.  comp.  "  Boy  Scout  Tests  and  How 
to  Pass  Them."    (Glasgow,  1913.) 

Information  concerning  The  Girl  Pioneers  may  be 
had  from  Miss  A.  B.  Beard,  Secretary,  Flushing, 
Long  Island,  N.  Y. 

Another  organization  which  has  been  popular  is 


Il8  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

the  "  Camp  Fire  Girls."  Groups  of  girls  from  ten  to 
fifteen  in  number  are  drawn  together  under  the  di- 
rection of  a  Guardian.  Such  groups  are  called 
"  Camp  Fires  "  and  each  group  is  supposed  to  have 
its  own  distinctive  name. 

Weekly  meetings  are  held  under  the  direction  of 
the  Guardian  and  a  special  "  Carnp  Fire  "  service  is 
held  once  a  month  in  which  the  girls  wear  their  beads 
and  their  ceremonial  gowns  and  carry  out  a  symbolic 
ceremony. 

The  tasks  for  which  "  honours  "  are  granted  cover 
the  range  of  a  girl's  obligations  and  activities  from 
the  simple  duties  of  the  home  to  the  obligations  of 
business.  Some  examples  as  presented  in  the  liter- 
ature of  the  general  organization  are  as  follows : 

To  make  a  shirtwaist. 

To  cook  meat  in  four  ways. 

To  do  all  the  work  in  a  successful  garden. 

Wood  carving.  To  make  a  useful  piece  of  furni- 
ture. 

•  To  live  for  one  year  on  a  given  allowance  which 
shall  cover  all  personal  expenses,  and  to  keep  full  ac- 
counts. 

To  be  free  from  every  indication  of  a  cold  for 
two  consecutive  months  between  October  and  April. 

To  tell  the  history  and  meaning  of  the  American 
Flag  and  the  flag  of  the  country  from  which  her  an- 
cestors came. 

Girls  must  be  twelve  years  of  age  before  they  can 
be  Camp  Fire  Girls.  Information  and  literature  can 
be  secured  by  addressing  Headquarters,  Camp  Fire 
Girls,  461  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Organizations  Which  Help  119 

The  Organized  Class, 

Organizations  of  the  kind  which  we  have  pre- 
sented are  helpful  both  in  their  direct  purpose  and 
in  their  indirect  influence  in  building  the  Sunday 
school.  Since  the  organized  class  is  organically  a 
part  of  the  Sunday  school  and  is  primarily  con- 
cerned with  its  upbuilding,  it  is  the  most  dependable 
and  fruitful  of  all  the  means  yet  devised  for  Sun- 
day-school building. 

The  organized  class  is  able  to  multiply  its  own 
members.  The  really  large  classes  of  the  country 
are  all  organized  classes.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find 
classes  which  number  into  the  hundreds  and  occa- 
sionally we  find  classes  which  pass  the  thousand 
mark.  The  superintendent  or  pastor  who  aspires  to 
build  a  large  Sunday  school  will  do  well  to  give  sym- 
pathetic backing  and  full  sympathy  to  his  organized 
classes. 

The  organized  class  may  indefinitely  multiply  its 
ministries.  The  Adult  Department  of  the  Interna- 
tional Sunday-School  Association  offers  a  leaflet  en- 
titled "  One  Hundred  Things  One  Hundred  Organ- 
ized Bible  Classes  are  Doing."  The  following  selec- 
tion from  the  total  list,  which  represents  a  hundred 
classes  in  nineteen  denominations,  will  be  suggestive 
of  the  varied  lines  of  service  in  which  organized 
classes  may  engage,  and  will  prove  stimulating  to 
organized  class  workers. 

1.  Contributed  $1,500  toward  the  erection  of  a 
reception  room  in  the  new  church  building  In  which 
^t  present  all  services  are  conducted. 

2.  Furnished  music   for  the  choir,  hymn-book/ 


120  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

for  the  congregation,  and  paid  musical  tuition  fee  of 
the  organist.    Membership  25. 

3.  Contributed  $60  to  the  support  of  a  native 
preacher  in  India.    Membership  60. 

4.  Five  members  of  class  have  entered  college  to 
prepare  for  ministry.  Class  is  supporting  one  for 
the  first  year.     Membership  296. 

5.  Contributed  $60  to  Sabbath  School  Mission. 
Membership  310. 

6.  Conducted  campaign  of  "Alley  Evangelism" 
in  the  neglected  sections  of  their  community  v^^ith  the 
purpose  of  carrying  the  "  good  tidings  "  into  these 
byways.     Membership  112. 

7.  Supported  Deaconess  working  among  the  mill 
people  of  their  city.    Membership  75. 

8.  Assumed  the  responsibility  of  managing  and 
teaching  a  class  of  boys  from  13  to  18  years  of  age 
which  has  grown  in  six  months  from  13  to  25. 
Membership  72. 

9.  Provided  the  following  workers  for  the  Sun- 
day school:  Primary,  Junior  and  Intermediate  De- 
partment Superintendents,  Teacher  in  Senior  De- 
partment, three  assistants  in  Primary  Department, 
two  members  of  Orchestra,  eight  members  Senior 
Choir,  three  Home  Department  visitors,  two  members 
Teacher  Training  Class,  one  or  two  substitute  teach- 
ers each  Sunday,  Chairman  Home  Missionary  Com- 
mittee of  Woman's  Society,  and  a  number  of  work- 
ers in  the  Christian  Endeavour  Society.  Membership 
80. 

10.  Secured  employment,  found  boarding-houses, 
visited  the  sick,  looked  after  the  poor  and  unfortu- 


Organizations  Which  Help  121 

nate  of  the  class  and  community,  and  helped  prison- 
ers on  parole  when  they  were  found  worthy  of  such 
help.    Membership  350. 

11.  Gave  winter's  lecture  course  w^hich  attracted 
large  attendance  and  aroused  general  interest  in 
the  city.  This  was  the  means  of  interesting 
men  of  literary  habits  in  the  class  work.  Member- 
ship y6, 

12.  Conducted  street  meetings  regularly  during 
the  summer  months.    Membership  400. 

13-  Organized  and  led  a  county  delegation  of  350 
to  the  State  Convention.  Sixty-five  members  of 
their  own  class  were  in  the  company.  Membership 
150. 

14.  Organized  and  maintains  a  church  library 
for  Bible  School,  Christian  Endeavour,  and  Mission- 
ary workers  of  the  church.  At  present  has  $40 
worth  of  sectional  bookcases  containing  about  250 
volumes.    Membership  125. 

15.  Class  has  helped  to  maintain  a  work  among 
boys  at  an  average  expense  of  $8  per  week,  or  a  total 
of  over  $400  per  year.  This  movement  has  resulted 
in  a  boys'  work  which  is  greatly  blessing  school, 
church  and  community.    Membership  225. 

16.  Have  organized  and  are  now  conducting  in  a 
neglected  part  of  the  city  a  Mission  Sunday  school 
which  has  an  average  attendance  of  47.  One  of  their 
own  members  is  superintendent  of  this  school. 
Membership  100. 

17.  Take  charge  of  church  prayer-meeting  the 
first  Thursday  of  each  month.    Membership  48. 

18.  Contributed  $35  of  Native  Bible  in  China,- 


122  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

where  one  of  their  own  members  is  a  missionary. 
Membership  45. 

19.  Conduct  a  prayer  circle  each  week  to  pray 
for  the  women  of  the  church.    Membership  54. 

20.  Conduct  a  reading  room  which  is  kept  open 
each  night.     Membership  345. 

21.  Class  is  maintaining  a  room  where  every 
evening  music,  sewing-machines,  periodicals,  lesson 
helps,  games  and  cordiality  can  be  enjoyed  by  young 
women.    Membership  185. 

22.  Are  educating  a  young  lady  to  be  a  mission- 
ary.   Membership  225. 

23.  Two  hundred  dollars  given  annually  to  sup- 
port a  student  preparing  himself  for  the  ministry. 
Membership  221. 

24.  Paid  for  course  of  treatment  for  a  young 
man  suffering  with  rheumatism  and  unable  to  work. 
He  was  restored  to  health  and  enabled  to  take  up 
his  work  again.  He  and  his  wife  recently  united 
with  the  church.    Membership  114. 

25.  Contributed  $120  to  the  expense  of  renovat- 
ing the  Sunday-school  rooms,  in  addition  to  caring 
for  the  entire  expense  of  redecorating  their  own 
class  room. 

26.  Expends  several  hundred  dollars  annually 
in  Mutual  Benefit  Association  for  the  relief  of 
members  incapacitated  by  illness.  Membership 
200. 

27.  Conducted  regular  cottage  meetings  for  Bible 
study  and  prayer,  which  have  been  attended  In  three 
years  by  200  different  women.    Membership  50. 

28.  Is  assisting  one  of  its  members  to  take  a  col- 


Organizations  Which  Help  123 

lege  course  with  the  ministry  in  view.     Membership 

135- 

29.  Took  an  active  part  in  the  temperance  cam- 
paign, wielding  the  balance  of  power  in  a  ward 
where  the  vote  was  very  close.    Membership  143. 

30.  Gave  supper  for  200  poor  children  at  Christ- 
mas time  who  were  brought  to  the  church  in  vans, 
and  after  being  clothed  and  fed,  a  real  Santa  Claus 
gave  each  child  a  personal  gift.  Upon  leaving  the 
church  each  little  guest  received  a  pair  of  mittens 
and  a  box  of  candy.     Membership  250. 

31.  Meets  bi-monthly  in  the  evening  for  Mission 
study.    Membership  28. 

32.  Have  opened  rooms  as  a  meeting  place  for 
young  men  and  conduct  them  along  the  lines  of  a 
local  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  which  the  town  is  too  small  to 
support.     Membership  12. 

33.  Are  paying  the  rent  of  a  consumptive  who  is 
unable  to  work.    Membership  183. 

34.  Two  classes  have  united  in  conducting  a 
down-town  lunch  room  where  the  girls  can  get  a 
good  wholesome  lunch,  cheap,  with  the  privilege  of 
rest  rooms  and  employment  department.  Member- 
ship 47  and  85. 

35.  Publishes  a  monthly  paper,  The  Purpose, 
in  the  interest  of  church,  school  and  class.  Member- 
ship 194. 


XIV 

SOCIAL  LIFE  AND  THE  SUCCESS  OF  THE 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

THE  social  appeal  may  offer  a  strong  attrac- 
tion to  people  younger  and  older,  while  h 
properly  ordered  program  of  social  activi- 
ties may  be  of  real  educational  and  religious  value. 
Ours  is  essentially  a  social  gospel.  The  Lord  Jesus 
in  His  ministry  mingled  freely  with  all  types  of  peo- 
ple and  "  table-talk "  constituted  a  large  element  in 
His  teaching  ministry. 

Follozving  department  lines.  More  and  more  so- 
cial life  will  follow  the  subdivisions  of  the  Sunday 
school.  Each  department  in  the  Sunday  school 
should  provide  needed  social  functions  for  its  mem- 
bers. The  Beginners  should  have  their  own  parties, 
the  Primaries  and  Juniors  should  have  their  separate 
entertainments,  the  Intermediate  Department  and  the 
Young  People's  Department  should  each  have  distinct 
socials,  while  the  Adults  should  develop  in  the  de- 
partment or  in  special  classes  the  types  of  fellowship 
and  social  diversion  which  they  may  seem  to  require. 
In  many  churches  this  is  an  established  custom. 
Some  churches  seek  to  have  some  kind  of  social 
"  meet "  for  each  department  each  month,  or  at  least 
each  quarter. 

We  should  no  more  provide  one  large  room  as  the 
"  Social  room "  than  we  should  provide  one  large 

124 


Social  Life  and  Success  12_J 

room  and  call  it  the  *'  Sunday-school  room."  We 
were  doing  that  two  or  three  decades  ago,  but  we 
have  passed  that  day.  There  is  as  much  reason  for 
departmentizing  the  social  life  as  for  departmentiz- 
ing  the  Sunday  school  itself. 

Why  departmentize  social  activifiesf  Some  im- 
portant conditions  favour  the  departmentizing  of  the 
social  life  of  the  people,  following  the  lines  of  the 
departments  in  the  Sunday  school. 

1.  This  assures  congenial  groups  which  can  be 
managed  together  in  any  type  of  entertainment 
which  may  be  undertaken. 

2.  This  assures  about  the  number  which  can  be 
successfully  managed  and  enables  the  workers  to  de- 
termine in  advance  about  what  numbers  should  be 
provided  for. 

3.  A  motive  is  provided  since  the  workers  in  a 
given  department  may  utilize  the  social  functions  as 
a  means  of  building  up  their  department. 

4.  This  arrangement  has  additional  advantage  in 
that  the  officers  of  the  department  constitute  a  group 
of  workers  equipped  and  trained  to  direct  the  activi- 
ties of  the  members  of  the  department. 

If  we  are  to  utilize  the  department  rooms  for  so- 
cial purposes,  it  will  be  well  to  furnish  these  rooms 
with  this  end  in  view.  Suitable  floor  coverings,  such 
as  large  rugs,  crex  matting,  or  linoleum,  should  be 
provided. 

Kitchenettes  or  dumb-waiters  may  be  arranged  for 
rooms  which  are  not  adjacent  to  the  main  kitchen. 
During  the  construction  of  the  building,  dumb-wait- 
ers may  be  installed  at  low  cost. 


126  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Social  Versus  Recreational  Provisions. 

There  is  a  manifest  desire  on  the  part  of  our 
churches  to  minister  to  the  practical  needs  of  the 
people.  This  desire  grows  out  of  the  urgency  of  cer- 
tain needs  and  out  of  the  very  legitimate  wish  to 
open  the  way  for  the  gospel  which  we  preach.  The 
necessity  for  ministry  on  the  part  of  the  churches  in 
meeting  social  and  recreational  needs  was  much  em- 
phasized by  certain  experiences  of  the  world  war. 

Besides  the  social  life  which  forward-looking 
churches  have  long  been  wont  to  provide,  the 
churches  are  considering  the  gymnasium,  the  swim- 
ming pool  and  other  means  of  recreation.  It  is  not 
our  purpose  to  consider  here  the  expediency  of  these 
recreational  agencies,  but  we  do  wish  to  say  that  first 
attention  should  be  given  to  the  social  needs.  Ours  is 
a  social  gospel.  Properly-directed  social  activities 
will  yield  immediate  fruit  in  larger  attendance  upon 
the  teaching  and  the  preaching  services  and  may  be 
made  to  contribute  to  evangelism  and  the  upbuilding 
of  all  good  things  in  the  community.  Social  activi- 
ties and  the  proper  mingling  of  the  people  in  pleas- 
ant fellowship  Is  essential  to  the  very  life  of  our 
churches  and  to  the  gospel  ends  which  we  seek. 
Happy  and  successful  are  the  churches  which  meet 
as  fully  as  possible  the  social  needs  of  their  con- 
stituency. This  makes  for  solidarity  of  spirit,  for 
full  understanding  and  closer  fellowship,  and  for  the 
conservation  of  all  the  forces  of  the  congregation. 

In  a  word,  we  must  provide  for  and  cultivate  the 
social  life  of  our  people,  while  we  may  if  the  way 
seems  open  and  the  demand  seems  to  exist,  minister 


Social  Life  and  Success  127 

to  the  recreational  needs  of  the  community.  The 
great  churches,  those  in  our  busy  centers  and  those 
in  our  rural  districts,  which  are  reaching  the  people 
in  worthy  fashion  are  pressing  every  effort  to  min- 
ister to  the  social  needs  of  all  types  and  all  ages. 
For  reasons  which  must  be  apparent,  such  ministry 
must  be  more  vital  and  fruitful  and  at  the  same 
time  much  less  expensive  and  burdensome  than  ef- 
forts directed  more  definitely  toward  recreation, 
such  as  the  gymnasium  and  the  swimming  pool. 

Adapting  the  building  to  meet  social  needs.  The 
church  building  must  serve  at  least  three  great  ends. 

It  must  provide  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 

It  must  house  the  teaching  service. 

It  must  offer  accommodations  for  social  life. 

The  modern  church  building  is  the  result  of  an 
evolution;  it  reflects  the  development  of  church  life 
and  activities.  Threescore  years  ago  church  houses 
were  built  almost  exclusively  for  preaching. 
Through  long  experience  we  have  perfected  our 
ideals  as  regards  provisions  for  the  preaching  serv- 
ice. These  ideals  have  been  clearly  stated  by  many 
writers  and  have  found  expression  in  many  build- 
ings. 

Gradually  we  have  wrought  out  clear  and  definite 
ideals  for  the  building  provisions  needed  by  the 
modern  Sunday  school.  These  also  have  been  fully 
stated  and  illustrated,  and  they  are  being  rapidly  in- 
troduced into  the  planning  of  modem  church  build- 
ings. 

The  necessity  to  make  some  provision  In  the 
church  house  for  social  functions  has  been  long  rec- 


128  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

ognized,  but  little  effort  has  been  made  to  state  or  to 
illustrate  the  underlying  ideals  which  should  guide 
us  here.  At  this  point  we  seem  still  to  live  in  the 
days  of  the  Judges,  since  **  every  man  does  that 
which  is  right  in  his  own  eyes,"  and  no  one  has  un- 
dertaken to  formulate  general  suggestions  for  our 
guidance. 

A  Fair  Balance  is  Required. 

Provisions  for  preaching,  for  teaching  and  for 
social  life  must  receive  proper  relative  emphasis. 
Are  there  buildings  which  seem  to  lend  themselves 
almost  exclusively  to  the  preaching  service  ?  Possibly 
there  are  church  buildings  which  come  dangerously 
near  to  being  mere  Sunday-school  houses.  As  yet 
.we  have  perhaps  not  developed  buildings  which  over- 
emphasize the  social  side.  Certain  it  is  that  the 
ideal  church  building  will  offer  a  reasonable  balance 
as  between  these  three  great  lines  of  service.  No 
one  of  them  can  safely  be  neglected  and  no  one  of 
them  must  dominate  the  building. 

The  Same  Floor  Space  Must  Generally  Be  Used 
Both  for  Social  Purposes  and  for  Sunday-School 
Uses. 

We  saw  recently  the  floor  plans  for  a  great  church 
plant  which  is  expected  to  cost  well  on  toward  a 
million  of  dollars  and  which  will  certainly  be  an  out- 
standing building  in  the  whole  country.  No  space 
in  the  plans  was  marked  "  parlour  "  or  "  social."  A 
large  kitchen  was  provided  adjacent  to  the  Adult 
Department  with  the  idea  that  by  the  clearing  of 
chairs  any  room  or  rooms  in  that  department  might 


Social  Life  and  Success  129 

readily  be  made  available  for  banquets  or  other  so- 
cial functions.  Kitchenettes  were  provided  near 
each  of  the  other  departments  with  the  evident  in- 
tention of  using  the  department  rooms  for  serving, 
parties  and  any  other  type  of  social  life. 

Some  Helpful  Books. 

Earnest  attention  has  been  given  in  recent  years  to 
all  phases  of  social  activity  in  church  and  Sunday- 
school  life.  As  a  consequence  we  have  many  sug- 
gestive volumes  from  which  it  must  be  easy  to  select 
a  few  choice  books  which,  if  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  departmental  workers,  will  offer  a  variety  of 
fresh  and  stimulating  suggestions. 

The  Association  Press,  New  York,  issued  some 
years  ago  a  book  entitled,  "  Social  Activities  for 
Men  and  Boys."  The  book  offers  a  digest  of  mate- 
rial and  plans  furnished  by  men  who  have  faced  and 
practically  solved  the  problems  of  entertaining  in 
wholesome  fashion  men  and  boys.  Social  events, 
games,  entertainments  are  described  and  treated  as 
a  means  of  attracting  and  holding  men  and  boys  so 
that  they  may  be  led  into  the  happiest  kind  of  life 
of  body,  mind  and  spirit.  The  following  selections 
from  the  classified  index  will  indicate  the  scope  of 
the  book. 

Banquets  and  Dinners. 
Camps  and  Camping. 
Clubs  for  Boys. 
General  Social  Events. 
High  School  and  College, 
Outings. 
Parlour  Tricks. 


130  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Receptions. 

Socials  for  Less  than  Twenty. 

Socials  for  More  than  Twenty. 

Socials  Including  Ladies. 

Songs  and  Yells. 

Summer  and  Outdoor  Affairs. 

The  United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  offers 
a  suggestive  volume,  "  Enjoyable  Entertainments," 
which  has  met  with  much  favour.  It  presents  out- 
lines and  more  or  less  complete  guidance  for  special 
evenings  with  educational  and  religious  ends  con- 
stantly in  view.  The  following  selected  headings 
will  illustrate  the  type  of  **  evenings  "  which  the  book 
proposes : 

A  Woodland  April  Joke. 

The  Waking  of  the  Spring  Flowers. 

Santa  Claus  Motion  Song. 

A  Japanese  Ceremonial  Tea. 

An  Indian  Drill. 

Scenes  from  "  Pilgrim's  Progress." 

A  Musical  Evening. 

A  Millinery  Marvel. 

Mrs.  Jarley's  Waxworks. 

Museum  of  Very  Natural  History. 

Easter  Lily  Drill. 

High  Junks  Along  the  Milky  Way. 

The  Beggar  Prince. 

A  Window  Evening. 

Scenes  from  American  History. 

A  Surprise  Flower  Garden. 

"The  Children's  Book  of  Games  and  Parties"  is 
replete  with  guidance  for  the  entertainment  of  little 
children  and  of  boys  and  girls.    The  following  para- 


Social  Life  and  Success  131 

graphs  from  the  "  Foreword  to  Mothers "  are  so 
sympathetic  and  discerning  that  they  win  a  quick 
confidence  in  the  abihty  and  purpose  of  the  author 
to  make  really  helpful  suggestions. 

"The  child's  red  letter  day  is  the  day  when 
mother  allows  him  to  have  a  party,  or  when  he  plays 
a  happy  game  with  some  other  children. 

"  There  is  a  very  real  reason  for  this  child's  happi- 
ness. A  party  means  for  a  child  his  first  attempts 
at  giving  pleasure  to  others;  his  pleasure  in  games 
means  that  he  has  an  opportunity  to  subordinate  him- 
self to  others  and  find  joy  in  being  part  of  a  small, 
social  group. 

*'  Too  often  we  plan  children's  parties  that  are  so 
elaborate  that  they  take  away  from  the  child's  fine 
joy  in  hospitality;  he  has  no  share  in  preparing  for 
the  party,  and  no  part  in  the  entertainment  of  his 
guests.  And  often,  too,  we  encourage  a  child  to  play 
alone,  not  realizing  how  important  in  his  develop- 
ment are  the  games  that  he  plays  with  other  boys 
and  girls. 

"'The  Children's  Book  of  Games  and  Parties' 
aims  to  help  mothers  to  plan  simple  entertainments 
for  ever}^  possible  occasion  in  the  child's  year,  and 
it  offers  games  that  will  help  to  train  the  child's 
dawning  social  instinct.  The  parties  and  games 
cover  all  the  interesting  mile-stones  In  a  child's  life; 
holidays,  birthdays,  and  the  different  seasons.  Each 
entertainment  has  been  planned  having  in  mind  those 
activities  and  plays  that  most  interest  children  and 
they  also  give  children  a  good  deal  to  do  in  the  way 
of  handicraft." 


132  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

The  book  is  written  in  popular  style,  having  in 
mind  children's  as  well  as  mothers'  reading. 

"  Good  Times  with  the  Juniors  "  is  offered  by  the 
United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  and  has 
through  many  years  demonstrated  its  practical  value. 
Miss  Lilian  M.  Heath  is  the  author;  in  the  preface 
she  has  this  timely  word: 

"  One  thing  is  certain.  He  who  said,  *  Of  such 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven,'  was  speaking  of  those 
whose  only  conscious  motive  was  play — natural, 
graceful,  happy,  loving  life-expression.  The  growth 
resulting  was  involuntary.  With  the  growth  came 
new  impulses,  new  activities,  and  new  growth.  It  is 
the  plan,  in  God's  kindergarten.  Brother,  if  we 
would  grow,  let  us  not  be  afraid  to  play ! " 

In  the  suggestions  for  "  A  Rope  Social,"  the  de- 
lightful and  wholesome  spirit  of  the  book  finds 
ample  illustration: 

This  is  best  fun  when  held  in  a  barn,  or  a 
large  attic,  if  stairways,  etc.,  are  safe ;  and  it  will 
prove  a  good  opportunity  to  "  rope  in "  new 
members,  or  at  least  to  make  those  who  are  not 
members  wish  that  they  were.  There  is  no  pro- 
gram, though  Christian  Endeavour  songs  at 
the  beginning  and  close  are  in  order  at  every 
Junior  social.  Girls  may  bring  their  skipping 
ropes ;  and,  if  the  place  admits  of  swings,  by  all 
means  put  up  several  stout  ones.  Introduce  the 
game  of  "  rope  ring  toss,"  or  "  grommet-pitch- 
ing,"  as  it  is  called  by  sailors.  The  rings  are  made 
of  rope  with  the  strands  first  separated  so  as  the 
better  to  weave  them  into  smooth,  firm  rings 
about  six  to  ten  inches  across.  They  are  made 
all  of  the  same  size,  or  of  graduated  sizes,  as 


Social  Life  and  Success  133 

preferred.  If  desired,  they  may  be  wound  with 
ribbon.  The  game  consists  in  throwing  these 
"  grommets "  over  an  upright  stake,  or  over 
pegs  driven  in  the  wall  or  in  a  board,  each  peg 
being  numbered.  The  players  have  each  a  cer- 
tain number  of  throws  and  the  score  is  kept  to 
see  who  is  the  most  skillful. 

When  tired  of  this,  they  may  play  the  game  of 
"  pink  violets,"  composed  of  a  little  delightful 
nonsense  and  a  good  deal  of  running.  The  song 
which  accompanies  it  may  be  sung  to  the  tune 
of  "  Sing  a  Song  of  Sixpence,"  or  to  any  other 
that  it  will  fit,  or  to  not  much  of  any  tune  at  all. 
The  words  are  as  follows : 

"Pink,  pink  violets,  and  roses  bright  and  blue! 
A  Junior  in  a  prison — whatever  shall  we  do? 
We'll  open  the  window  east,  and  we'll  open  the 

window  west, 
And  never,  never  tell  if  the  prisoner  does  the  rest!  " 

The  children  range  themselves  in  a  circle,  hold- 
ing a  rope  to  help  keep  the  circle  of  a  uniform 
size.  One  of  them,  the  prisoner,  goes  inside  the 
ring;  another,  the  jailer,  stands  outside.  They 
begin  to  sing,  and  at  the  words,  "  We'll  open 
the  window  east,  and  we'll  open  the  window 
west,"  the  players  on  first  one  side,  then  the  op- 
posite, lift  the  rope  high  enough  for  the  prisoner 
to  pass  under;  but  the  jailer  outside  is  watching. 
The  prisoner  may  take  his  choice,  but  must  run 
out  at  one  side  or  the  other  before  the  song 
stops,  and  must  try  to  run  once  entirely  around 
the  ring  before  being  overtaken  by  the  jailer. 
Those  holding  the  rope  must  neither  help  nor 
hinder  the  runners  after  the  start  is  made,  and 
the  openings  must  be  at  about  equal  distances 
from  the  jailer.  If  the  prisoner  can  run  clear 
around  the  outside  of  the  ring  without  being 


134  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

overtaken,  he  takes  his  place  with  the  rest,  be- 
tween the  two  whose  *'  open  window  "  set  him 
free;  the  former  jailer  becomes  prisoner,  the 
former  prisoner's  right-hand  neighbour  becomes 
jailer,  and  the  game  proceeds  as  at  first.  But,  if 
the  prisoner  is  touched  ever  so  lightly  by  the  one 
in  chase,  he  is  sent  back  to  the  center,  where  he 
must  remain;  the  jailer  joins  the  ring  anywhere 
he  chooses;  his  right-hand  neighbour  becomes 
the  new  jailer  and  his  left-hand  one  a  new 
prisoner  with  privilege  of  escape;  and  so  the 
game  continues.  Each  time  only  the  new  pris- 
oner may  run  out.  Whenever  a  third  of  the 
players  are  in  the  center  at  one  time,  it  ends  tlie 
game. 

After  the  enjoyment  of  the  games  and  swings 
an  old-fashioned  molasses  candy-pull  may  com- 
plete the  festivities,  and,  as  the  Juniors  vie  with 
one  another  in  pulling  and  deftly  handling  these 
most  fascinating  "  ropes  "  of  all  as  they  gradu- 
ally assume  a  light  golden  colour,  the  social  is 
sure  to  be  voted  a  success. 

"  Social  to  Save,"  by  Amos  R.  Wells,  has  been 
before  the  public  for  many  years  with  undiminishing 
usefulness.  The  opening  words  of  the  book  must 
commend  themselves  to  all  thoughtful  Christian 
workers : 

A  company  of  men  and  women  were  ship- 
wrecked on  an  island.  Death  stared  them  in  the 
face, — death  from  the  hungry  waves  that  lashed 
the  shore,  death  from  the  hunger  that  lashed 
their  fainting  bodies.  Wild  beasts  were  prowl- 
ing through  the  gloomy  woods  behind  them,  and 
a  cold  night  was  settling  down.  What  did  they 
do?  The  captain  urged  them  to  get  together, 
build  a  fire,  organize  two  bands,  one  to  hunt  for 


Social  Life  and  Success  135 

food  while  the  other  made  a  stockade  for  safety, 
and  then,  around  the  fire,  safe  in  the  stockade, 
the  entire  company  would  eat  and  drink  and 
praise  God  together. 

But  they  did  none  of  these  things.  Said  one, 
"  I  am  too  busy ;  don't  you  see  I  have  set  my 
stakes  for  a  house  ?  ''  Said  another,  "  I  am  too 
bashful  to  go  into  company."  Said  a  third, 
"  The  ship's  crew  are  dreadfully  coarse  men, 
and  reall)^  the  party  would  better  be  more  se- 
lect." Said  a  fourth,  "  I  am  too  tired ;  it  will  do 
me  more  good  to  sleep."  "  But  it  is  for  life," 
urged  the  captain ;  "  for  life  and  safety." 
Nevertheless,  he  urged  in  vain. 

A  True  Picture. 

You  know  that  no  such  scene  as  this  was  ever 
on  earth  ?  Would  you  were  right !  For,  indeed, 
I  have  only  pictured  to  you  in  a  figure  precisely 
what  is  happening  every  month  in  thousands  of 
our  Christian  churches.  Shipwrecked  com- 
panies are  w«,  cast  up  on  these  strange  shores  of 
time  out  of  the  vast  ocean  of  eternity,  with 
death  and  that  ocean  impatiently  awaiting  us, 
and  hunger  at  our  hearts,  and  the  night  coming 
down,  and  the  beasts  in  the  woods.  And  our 
Captain  urges  us,  for  life,  for  safety,  to  live  for 
one  another;  to  gather  around  the  same  camp 
fire ;  to  give  the  reassuring  pressure  of  the  hand 
and  clasp  of  arm  around  the  neck;  to  drive 
away  by  love  the  wild  beast  of  loneliness,  and  by 
friendly  merriment  the  ghost  of  gloom.  "  Be 
social — to  save,"  cries  our  Captain.  But  we 
have  no  time.  And  we  are  too  bashful.  And 
we  abhor  disagreeable  people.  And  we  want 
our  own  set.  And  it  does  not  come  easy.  And 
we  are  too  tired  with  our  day's  work.  And 
there  will  be  enough  without  us. 


XV 

RECREATIONS  IN  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

WE  must  insist  here  as  we  have  done  else- 
where that  all  measures  adopted  by  the 
churches,  such  as  week-day  organiza- 
tions and  all  recreations  shall  be  used  to  serve  their 
own  primary  and  legitimate  ends.  Social  ministries 
must  seek  their  own  proper  purposes  and  must  not 
be  inaugurated  simply  to  build  the  Sunday  school  or 
the  church.  This  must  be  evident  and  goes  with  the 
saying.  At  the  same  time  such  ministries  must  re- 
act favourably  on  the  life  of  the  Sunday  school  and 
in  many  outstanding  instances  have  contributed  di- 
rectly and  largely  to  the  success  of  the  Sunday 
school. 

All  public-spirited  citizens  stand  ready  to  boost 
and  build  the  institution  which  unselfishly  seeks  to 
meet  community  needs.  With  the  growth  of  our 
cities  and  the  increasing  congestion  of  daily  life, 
wholesome  recreations  are  becoming  a  necessity. 
The  Young  Men*s  Christian  Association  and  similar 
organizations  have  made  Invaluable  contribution  in 
these  lines,  but  the  needs  are  so  great  and  the  op- 
portunities for  service  so  varied  there  can  hardly  be 
any  real  competition. 

Visitors  to  the  Temple  Baptist  Church,  Los  An- 

136 


Recreations  in  Building  137 

geles,  California,  have  been  favourably  impressed 
with  the  attractive  open  space  near  the  church  build- 
ing, operated  by  the  church,  and  offering  the  privi- 
lege of  certain  open-air  games,  notably  lawn  tennis. 
The  heart  instinctively  responds  to  the  appeal  of  the 
church  which  concerns  itself  with  the  recreation 
needs  of  its  constituency. 

The  gymnasium  and  the  swimming  pool  or  the 
shower  baths  have,  under  certain  conditions,  met 
with  favour  and  these  have  aided  materially  in  en- 
larging Sunday-school  attendance  and  increasing  the 
general  usefulness  of  the  Sunday  school. 

The  practical  service  possible  through  these  indoor 
recreations  must  of  course  depend  in  a  measure  upon 
conditions  of  climate.  In  the  northern  sections  of 
the  United  States  and  in  Canada,  the  need  for  all 
manner  of  indoor  sports  must  be  great.  Through  the 
long  winter  months  snow  and  ice  abound  and  shut 
the  people  in.  Throughout  the  southern  sections  of 
our  country  where  even  the  winter  months  are  open 
and  sunny,  the  people  naturally  seek  exercise  and 
recreation  in  the  great  out-of-doors. 

The  author  has  seen  more  than  one  expensively- 
constructed  gymnasium  in  the  Gulf  States  abandoned 
because  the  climate  permitted  and  almost  compelled 
open-air  exercise. 

The  value  of  the  gymnasium  and  the  swimming 
pool  must  also  depend  largely  upon  community  con- 
ditions and  needs.  The  down-town  church  may  find 
in  these  recreational  facilities  a  real  asset  in  the 
building  of  the  Sunday  school  since  these  facilities 
meet  a  real  need  among  the  people  which  the  church 


138  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

seeks  to  serve.  Another  church  located  ten  blocks 
away  in  a  residential  district  may  try  to  duplicate  this 
successful  work  of  the  down-town  church  only  to 
meet  with  utter  disappointment.  This  has  actually 
occurred. 

It  ought  also  to  be  said  that  the  burdens  and  diffi- 
culties involved  in  the  installation  and  successful 
handling  of  the  gymnasium  and  the  swimming  pool 
are  such  that  no  community  ought  to  undertake  such 
service  without  a  careful  counting  of  the  cost.  To 
meet  the  highest  demand  of  usefulness  the  gymna- 
sium must  meet  certain  standard  requirements  as  to 
size,  height  of  ceiling,  light  and  ventilation.  This  nec- 
essarily involves  heavy  expense.  The  play  room  which 
some  architects  indicate  as  "  the  gymnasium "  in 
their  floor-plan  drawings,  is  frequently  located  on 
the  basement  floor  with  many  obstructing  posts  and 
with  poor  ventilation.  Among  workers  who  have 
had  successful  experience  with  the  gymnasium, 
there  is  an  agreement  that  if  such  work  is  to  be  un- 
dertaken at  all  it  should  be  done  on  a  worthy  scale 
with  the  provision  of  proper  and  ample  equip- 
ment. 

If  the  question  of  expense  must  be  considered  in 
connection  with  the  gymnasium  much  more  must 
this  question  be  considered  when  we  face  the  prob- 
lem of  a  swimming  pool.  The  First  Baptist  Church, 
Fort  Worth,  Texas,  laid  down  seven  distinct  layers 
as  a  foundation  for  its  swimming  pool.  The  build- 
ing was  made  safe  and  the  great  body  of  water  was 
rendered  secure,  but  this  was  done  at  heavy  expense. 
It   is   of   course   a   serious   proposition   to   inclose 


Recreations  in  Building  139 

100,000  gallons  of  water  in  the  midst  of  the  founda- 
tions and  substructure  of  a  great  building. 

Great  as  is  the  initial  cost  involved  in  the  construc- 
tion of  these  facilities,  the  expense  of  upkeep  must 
not  be  overlooked.  A  gymnasium  calls  for  a  physical 
director  or  directors  and  this  means,  of  course,  a 
constant  outlay.  A  swimming  pool  may  be  a  men- 
ace in  many  ways  unless  there  is  a  competent  and 
careful  attendant.  Besides  the  water  must  be  fre- 
quently changed  and  this  alone  may  constitute  a  con- 
siderable item  of  expense. 

It  must  be  apparent  that  these  recreational  facili- 
ties, in  order  to  make  real  contribution  to  the  moral 
and  spiritual  life  which  the  Sunday  school  seeks 
especially  to  build,  must  be  managed  with  great  skill 
and  wisdom.  It  is  easily  conceivable  that  these  rec- 
reations, if  not  wisely  guarded,  may  be  dissipative 
and  may  work  for  the  undoing  of  the  real  ends 
which  are  sought  in  the  Sunday  school.  So  true  is 
this,  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  thoughtful 
Sunday-school  workers  does  not  seem  to  regard  with 
favour  these  types  of  endeavour. 


XVI 
ADVERTISING  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

THE  successful  Sunday  school  will  be  its 
own  best  advertisement.  Such  a  school 
will  advertise  itself.  This  is  one  of  its 
distinct  advantages.  Any  worth-while  institution 
gets  a  deal  of  free  advertising.  The  Sunday  school 
which  by  its  good  equipment,  its  fine  organization, 
its  excellent  teaching  attains  high  rank  becomes  an 
asset  to  any  community,  and  public-spirited  citizens 
of  all  kinds  take  pleasure  in  setting  forward  its  in- 
terests. 

Nevertheless  Sunday  schools  need  to  advertise.  It 
is  well  enough  to  make  the  school  good  and  attract- 
ive. It  is  also  needful  in  tactful  and  effective  ways 
to  let  the  community  know  concerning  the  attain- 
ments and  the  attractions  of  the  school.  As  busi- 
ness men  are  not  content  to  have  good  goods,  but  go 
further  and  spend  large  sums  to  let  the  world  know 
about  the  goods  they  have,  so  Sunday  schools  can- 
not be  content  with  good  wares  of  faithful  and  effi- 
cient service,  but  must  in  all  tactful  ways  let  the 
people  know  what  they  offer. 

Church  advertising,  including  of  course  Sunday- 
school  advertising,  is  In  recent  years  entering  upon 
a  new  era.     In  practically  every  city  there  are  ag- 

140 


Advertising  the  Sunday  School         141 

gressive  and  wide-awake  churches  which  advertise, 
sometimes  on  bulletin-boards,  sometimes  in  newspa- 
pers, sometimes  by  the  distribution  of  hand  bills  or 
placing  of  placards.  Since  all  other  institutions 
which  must  appeal  for  support  and  patronage  to  the 
general  public  find  it  profitable  to  use  various  types 
of  advertising,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
churches  and  Sunday  schools  will  do  so.  The 
church  program  for  advertising  should  be  a  unified 
program  and  for  this  reason  a  general  committee 
should  direct  the  whole  plan.  At  the  same  time  ad- 
vertising should  be  definite  and  particular.  Some 
one  thing  should  stand  out  with  its  appeal  and  other 
things,  if  mentioned  at  all,  should  be  incidental. 

There  is,  of  course,  much  publicity  which  a  large 
Sunday  school  may  expect  which  will  be  gladly 
given  space  as  news.  This  type  of  publicity  may  be 
much  more  valuable  than  display  advertising  for 
which  good  sums  would  have  to  be  paid.  It  is  to  be 
remembered  that  when  a  Sunday  school  grows  a 
very  large  constituency  and  comes  to  hold  a  distinct 
place  in  a  community,  all  that  concerns  it  and  all 
that  is  planned  by  it  has  an  added  news-value.  The 
Sunday  school  should,  therefore,  have  a  live  pub- 
licity representative  who  will  see  that  news-ma- 
terial is  promptly  offered  the  local  papers  and  the 
denominational  press.  This  representative  may  well 
be  some  young  man  or  woman  engaged  in  newspaper 
work,  or  some  one  possessed  of  newspaper  experi- 
ence. Any  young  person  who  is  alert  and  tactful 
may,  however,  successfully  render  this  service. 

It  is  safe  to  predict  that  Sunday  schools  will  in- 


142  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

creasingly  make  use  of  display  advertising  in  local 
newspapers.  Concerning  the  propriety  of  this,  there 
can  be  no  reasonable  question.  If  it  is  right  to  offer 
spiritual  and  educational  advantages,  it  is  of  course 
right  to  announce  these  advantages  through  legiti- 
mate channels  with  a  view  to  extending  the  bless- 
ings to  the  largest  possible  numbers.  The  question 
of  expense  is  more  serious.  Church  advertising  of 
striking  themes  and  other  attractions  in  local  news- 
papers has  generally  resulted  in  such  enlarged  plate 
collections  as  more  than  meets  the  necessary  ex- 
pense. It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  main  bud- 
get of  expense  is  not  greatly  increased  by  the  bring- 
ing in  of  some  scores  of  pupils  into  the  Sunday 
school.  But  the  bringing  in  of  these  scores  of  pu- 
pils may  materially  enlarge  the  weekly  offerings. 
Thus  the  expense  of  proper  publicity  may  be  offset 
by  enlarged  offerings  to  the  school.  Even  if  this  is 
not  practicable,  it  will  probably  always  be  possible 
to  find  men  and  women  of  means  who  will  count  it 
a  privilege  to  make  possible  a  proper  advertising 
campaign. 

Organized  classes  of  men  and  women  may,  in  the 
effort  to  keep  their  own  class  activities  and  claims 
before  the  people,  render  to  the  whole  school  a  valu- 
able service.  The  advertising  of  any  class  or  de- 
partment in  a  Sunday  school  is  really  advertising  the 
whole  school.  Large  classes  for  men  which  meet  in 
the  church  auditorium  or  In  down-town  theaters,  or 
in  other  public  halls  may,  directly  or  indirectly,  ren- 
der helpful  service  in  keeping  the  Sunday  school  be- 
fore the  community. 


Advertising  the  Sunday  School         143 

The  observant  superintendent  with  an  instinct  for 
publicity  will  easily  think  of  many  methods  of  ad- 
vertising his  Sunday  school.  We  venture  to  list 
some  simple  methods  which  have  found  favour. 

1.  Use  the  weekly  church  bulletin.  This  little 
sheet  may  well  give  much  space  to  the  largest  and 
most  active  of  the  church  institutions.  Some  Sun- 
day schools  issue  a  special  weekly  bulletin  of  their 
own  and  fill  it  with  live  newsy  material. 

2.  Use  the  weekly  religious  paper  or  papers. 
The  colimms  of  these  papers  will  be  open  to  stimu- 
lating news  items.  They  frequently  carry  a  weekly 
report  of  attendance  of  Sunday  schools  which  attain 
or  pass  a  given  number. 

3.  Have  a  special  Sunday-school  bulletin-board. 
This  may  be  a  large  blackboard  on  which  may  be 
written  Sunday-school  announcements  or  Sunday- 
school  slogans.  Or  better,  it  may  be  a  patent  ad- 
vertising board  with  movable  letters.  These  may  be 
home-made  or  purchased  from  the  supply  houses. 
Or  this  publicity  board  may  be  so  arranged  that  type- 
written notices  may  be  attached.  Most  large  Sunday 
schools  can  use  to  advantage  a  special  bulletin-board. 

4.  Patronize  the  bulletin  company  of  your  city. 
Sometimes  suitable  posters  can  be  procured  from  the 
Sunday-school  publishing  houses. 

5.  Street-car  placards  constitute  an  effective 
publicity  medium.  These  cards  will  be  helpful  at 
any  time,  but  will  be  especially  so,  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day morning. 

6.  Cards  or  letters  may  well  be  distributed  in 
boarding-houses  and  hotels  on  Sunday  mornings. 


144  ^  Successful  Sunday  School 

7.  Neatly  framed  placards  announcing  the  Sun- 
day school  and  inviting  to  its  services  are  helpful 
when  placed  in  railroad  stations,  hotel  lobbies,  stores 
and  other  public  places. 

8.  The  local  papers,  whether  weekly  or  daily,  are 
usually  glad  to  carry  news-notes  and  announcements 
which  are  of  interest  to  any  considerable  number  of 
their  readers. 

The  **  Publicity  Hand  Book,"  prepared  by  Mr.  F. 
E.  Burkhalter  especially  for  the  use  of  Southern 
Baptist  churches,  gives  specific  suggestions  for  pre- 
paring news-copy  and  display  advertising  which 
must  be  of  value  to  those  who  lack  experience  and 
training  in  the  preparation  of  such  material.  These 
suggestions  are  so  timely  and  come  with  such  high 
authority,  we  venture  to  reproduce  some  of  them. 

1.  Submit  only  such  matter  as  is  fresh.  Material 
that  is  out  of  date  is  not  news. 

2.  See  that  all  copy  is  easily  read.  Use  type- 
writer if  possible  and  leave  ample  space  between  lines 
for  correction.    Write  only  on  one  side  of  the  paper. 

3.  Use  simple  words,  brief  sentences  and  short 
paragraphs. 

4.  Tell  all  the  essential  facts  of  the  story  in  the 
first  paragraph  as  briefly  and  in  just  as  interesting 
manner  as  possible. 

5.  Leave  plenty  of  space  at  the  top  of  the  first 
page  for  the  writing  of  headlines,  but  do  not  under- 
take to  furnish  these  headlines  yourself. 

6.  Be  accurate.  Never  sacrifice  your  facts  for 
interest,  but  present  them  in  as  attractive  and  brief 
fashion  as  possible. 


Advertising  the  Sunday  School         145 

7.  Write  for  the  man  of  the  street,  avoiding 
clerical  and  other  technical  expressions.  The  aver- 
age man  is  not  highly  educated,  but  he  understands 
plain  English. 

8.  Never  ask  for  the  insertion  in  the  news  col- 
umns of  matter  that  should  be  paid  for  as  advertis- 
ing. 

9.  Get  copy  to  the  papers  as  early  as  possible. 
For  afternoon  papers  copy  usually  has  the  best 
chance  for  publication  if  handed  in  by  8  a.  m.,  and 
for  morning  papers  not  later  than  5  p.  M.  For 
weekly  papers,  early  Monday  morning  is  usually  an 
acceptable  hour. 


XVII 

THE  TEACHERS'  MEETING  AND  THE 
WORKERS'  COUNCIL 

THE  first  of  these,  true  to  its  designation,  is 
not  an  organization,  but  a  meeting,  an  as- 
sembly, of  teachers  for  study  and  mutual 
profit.  The  Workers'  Council,  also  true  to  its  desig- 
nation, is  an  organization,  the  governing  body  of  the 
school,  the  proper  medium  through  which  plans  and 
policies  for  the  school  are  developed  and  announced. 
The  Teachers'  Meeting.  It  should,  of  course,  be 
held  weekly.  A  schedule  which  has  found  favour  in 
many  large  schools  is  somewhat  as  follows : 

Wednesday 
6:00  p.  M.     Meet  for  lunch. 
6:30  p.  M.     Departmental  conferences. 
7:00  p.  M.    Teachers'  Meeting  for  study 

of  lessons. 
7:30  p.  M.     Mid-week  prayer-meeting. 

The  lunch  should  either  be  free  to  all  interested 
workers,  being  provided  by  the  church,  or  it  should 
be  offered  to  the  officers  and  teachers  upon  the  basis 
of  approximate  cost.  Willing  hands  and  loving 
hearts  can  with  proper  appeal  be  enlisted  to  prepare 
this  evening  meal,  as  can  be  attested  by  the  experi- 
ence of  churches  in  various  parts  of  the  land  ex- 
tending through  many  years. 

146 


The  Teachers*  Meeting  147 

Various  methods  have  been  suggested  as  suitable 
for  the  conduct  of  the  teachers'  meeting.  The  so- 
called  "  Angle  Method  "  has  met  with  special  favour 
and  has  much  to  commend  it.  The  outlines  for  the 
teachers'  meeting  used  in  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  are  offered  as  suggestive. 

The  purpose  of  the  weekly  Teachers'  Meeting  as 
contemplated  in  this  program  is  four-fold : 

1.  SOCIAL.      The    opportunity    afforded    by    the 

thirty  minutes  lunch  for  fellowship  is  helpful 
and  uplifting. 

2.  BUSINESS. 

(i)  The  general  conference  for  fifteen  minutes  at 
the  close  of  the  lunch  around  the  table  di- 
rected by  the  Superintendent  gives  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  presentation  and  discussion  of 
questions  affecting  the  school  as  a  whole. 

(2)  The  departmental  conferences,  ten  minutes, 
preceding  the  lesson  period,  affords  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  consideration  of  vital  questions 
concerning  the  work  of  each  department. 
Led  by  departmental  superintendents. 

3.  LESSON  STUDY— thirty-five  minutes. 

(i)  Graded  lessons:  two  graded  lessons  for  fol- 
lowing Sunday  taught  in  each  group  twenty- 
five  minutes.  Brief  talks  on  "  Lesson-Build- 
ing," and  story-telling,  ten  minutes.  Adjourn 
at  7:50  to  mid-week  prayer-meeting. 

(2)  Uniform  Lessons.  "Angle  Method."  The 
"  Angle  Method  "  presents  a  simple,  practical 


148  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

plan  to  teachers  for  gathering  material,  plan- 
ning the  lesson  and  methods  of  teaching  it. 
Adjourn  to  mid-week  prayer-meeting,  7:50. 

4.     PRAYER. 

At  7 :  50  the  officers  and  teachers   assemble 
with  the  mid-week  prayer-meeting. 
Brief  reports  from  each  departmental  super- 
intendent as  to  attendance  and  interest. 

GRADED  LESSON  ASSIGNMENTS 

Should  be  made  by  departmental  superintendents  one 
week  in  advance.    Assigned  to  teachers  in  rotation. 

UNIFORM  LESSON  ASSIGNMENTS 

Should  be  made  by  the  general  superintendent  or 
the  general  secretary  on  Sunday  morning  preceding 
the  Teachers'  Meeting.  Assigned  in  rotation  alpha- 
betically. 

"  THE  TEN  ANGLES  " 
ANGLE  No.  I — Lesson  Text — Lesson  Story. 

Read  the  lesson  text  or  tell  the  story  in  your 
own  words. 

ANGLE  No.  2 — Connection. 

Give  subject  of  last  lesson,  brief  intervening 
histoi-y,  time,  place  and  circumstances  leading 
to  this  lesson. 

ANGLE  No.  3 — Biography. 

Give  the  names  of  persons,  classes  and  na- 
tions mentioned  or  referred  to  in  this  lesson. 

ANGLE  No.  4 — References. 

Give  helpful  references  and  parallel  passages 
showing  how  they  bear  on  the  lesson. 


The  Teachers'  Meeting  149 

ANGLE  No.  5 — Orientalisms. 

Give  any  Oriental  customs  or  manners  pecul- 
iar to  this  lesson,  or  any  facts  in  geography 
that  would  be  helpful  in  understanding  it. 

ANGLE  No.  6 — Point  of  Contact. 

Give  a  good  way  to  introduce  this  lesson,  so 
as  to  secure  attention  from  the  start. 

ANGLE  No.  7 — Central  Truth. 

Give  the  central  truth  of  the  lesson  and  the 
reason  for  its  choice. 

ANGLE  No.  2r— Other  Teachings. 

Put  on  the  blackboard  the  other  important 
truths. 

ANGLE  No.  9 — Illustrations. 

Give  one  or  two  illustrations  that  will  help  in 
teaching  this  lesson. 

ANGLE  No.  10 — Practical  Application. 

Make  a  practical  suggestion  of  the  teachings 
of  this  lesson. 

Each  Angler  will  have  three  minutes — no  more. 

ASSIGNMENT  OF  ANGLES 

We  want  you 

(Name  of  teacher) 

to  be  present  Wednesday  evening 

(Date) 
192 1,  to  present  Angle  No 

The  Workers'  Council.  This  body  should  be  com- 
posed of  the  general  officers,  together  with  the  de- 
partmental officers,  including,  of  course,  the  officers 
of  the  Cradle  Roll  and  the  Home  Departments.  Reg- 


i^o  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

ular  monthly  meetings  should  be  held  and  such  oc- 
casional meetings  as  may  seem  to  be  required.  At 
these  meetings  the  superintendent,  of  course,  should 
preside,  while  the  Sunday-school  secretary  should 
keep  all  necessary  records. 

The  meeting  offers  opportunity  to  consider  and 
determine  policies  and  plans,  and  will  constitute  a 
means  of  harmonizing  and  unifying  the  work  of  the 
entire  school. 


XVIII 

TEACHER  TRAINING  ESSENTIAL 
TO  SUCCESS 

THE  teacher  stands  central  in  the  whole 
Sunday-school  program.  The  entire  or- 
ganization is  to  be  built  around  the  teacher. 
If  the  teacher  fails,  the  whole  framework  of  the 
Sunday  school  goes  largely  for  naught.  Successful 
teachers  make  successful  Sunday  schools.  The  wise 
superintendent  will  keep  a  clear  and  constant  eye 
on  the  teachers  and  will  count  the  work  of  the 
teacher  as  every  way  fundamental.  The  trained 
teacher  is  moreover  essential  to  successful  Sunday- 
school  management.  Superintendents  find  that  the 
teachers  who  lend  intelligent  support  to  their 
cherished  plans  for  organization  and  enlargement 
are  invariably  the  teachers  who  have  received  train- 
ing. 

Our  teachers  must  be  trained  because  of  the  dif- 
ficulty of  their  tasks  and  the  limitations  under  which 
they  labour.  They  teach  not  the  material  which  is 
tangible  and  visible,  but  spiritual  truth  which  can 
neither  be  handled  nor  seen.  They  teach  a  book 
which  from  its  nature  and  from  the  conditions  un- 
der which  it  was  produced  involves  peculiar  diffi- 
culty. They  interpret  to  unfolding  life  God,  His 
character,  His  revelation  and  His  redemption.    Not 

151 


152  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

only  do  our  teachers  have  a  difficult  task;  they  have 
peculiar  limitations  and  restrictions  in  the  perform- 
ance of  this  difficult  task.  Unlike  public  school 
teachers  they  can  neither  enforce  discipline  nor  re- 
quire study.  They  have  only  about  thirty  minutes  in 
seven  days  for  their  teaching  work,  while  many  cur- 
rents are  all  the  week  inevitably  sweeping  counter  to 
their  teaching. 

Our  Bible  School  teachers  ought  to  seek  training 
because  a  little  training  will  do  so  much  for  them. 
A  little  knowledge,  according  to  the  old  proverb,  is 
a  dangerous  thing.  In  some  lines  and  under  some 
conditions  this  may  be  true,  but  it  is  not  true  that  a 
little  training  is  dangerous  to  a  sensible  and  devout 
teacher.  Every  teacher  knows  the  essential  features 
of  Sunday-school  management  and  organization;  a 
little  special  instruction  will  give  him  a  vision  of  ap- 
proved modem  methods  in  management  and  organ- 
ization. Every  teacher  knows  something,  perhaps 
much,  of  human  nature  and  the  laws  of  the  mind 
and  heart ;  a  little  special  instruction  will  clarify  his 
knowledge  of  the  pupil  and  set  him  in  right  lines  of 
endeavour.  All  teachers  know  something  of  the 
laws  and  principles  of  teaching;  but  a  little  definite 
and  well  adapted  guidance  may  remove  difficulties 
which  have  long  baffled  and  may  start  in  lines  of 
more  successful  effort.  It  means  much  that  the 
teacher  shall  have  an  ideal  toward  which  to  strive. 
With  such  an  ideal  he  will  certainly  grow  and  de- 
velop as  a  teacher.  A  little  training  skillfully  ad- 
ministered will  give  such  an  ideal  and  thus  put  the 
teacher  in  the  way  of  constant  improvement. 


Teacher  Training  Essential  to  Success  153 

The  Bible  School  teacher  should  seek  training  he- 
cause  thus  in  the  midst  of  congenial  associates  and 
in  the  pursuit  of  congenial  tasks  he  can  find  that 
mental  stimulus  and  that  intellectual  refreshment 
which  he  needs.  His  duties,  increased  by  his  volun- 
tary service  in  the  Sunday  school,  may  forbid  his 
finding  recreation  and  refreshment  in  "  Shakespear- 
ean Clubs "  or  "  Conversational  Clubs "  or  in  any 
other  of  the  helpful  or  inspiring  lines  which  are  open 
to  people  of  more  leisure.  Many  busy  and  burdened 
religious  workers  have  found  in  the  training  class 
the  very  "  club  "  they  have  long  needed. 

Our  teachers  should  seek  training  because  of  the 
wonderfully  interesting  and  profitable  lines  of  study 
offered  in  our  Normal  Courses.  One  who  knows  not 
the  fine  points  of  modern  Sunday-school  manage- 
ment can  hardly  boast  of  reasonable  intelligence  con- 
cerning ordinary  matters  of  current  religious  work. 
All  the  world  is  studying  life,  psychology,  under 
some  phase  or  name.  Our  Normal  Courses  give  in 
charming  fashion  the  principles  underlying  pupil 
study.  From  the  earliest  history  of  the  race  the 
principles  and  laws  of  teaching  have  been  of  deep  in- 
terest. But  our  Normal  Courses  bring  to  plain  peo- 
ple these  principles  in  the  simplest,  most  helpful  way. 
People  are  studying  the  Bible  in  numbers  and  with 
zeal  never  known  before.  But  the  Bible  work  of- 
fered in  our  Normal  Courses  is  the  crispest,  bright- 
est, most  practical  work  anywhere  offered. 

Our  teachers  ought  to  be  trained  because  such 
training  is  the  order  of  the  day.  Literally  thousands 
of  Christian  workers  are  now  enrolled  in  training 


154  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

classes.  Many  schools  have  already  established  a 
rule  that  none  but  diploma  holders  may  occupy  posi- 
tions on  their  teaching  staff.  Once  we  entreatingly 
asked,  "  Will  you  teach  ? "  Now,  we  are  asking, 
*'  Can  you  teach  ?  "  A  teacher  with  nearly  fifty  years 
of  experience  in  teaching  said  recently  on  receiving 
a  Normal  diploma,  "  I  see  a  great  procession  moving 
on  and  I  cannot  get  my  consent  to  be  left  out." 

Finally,  our  teachers  ought  to  seek  Normal  train- 
ing because  such  training  is  offered  zuithout  money 
and  witJioiit  price.  At  great  expense  the  Sunday- 
School  Boards  maintain  for  the  sake  of  these  teach- 
ers Departments  of  Sunday-School  I^Mucation, 
which  place  all  of  their  resources  freely  at  the  dis- 
posal of  Sunday-school  teachers.  The  International 
Sunday-School  Association  lends  itself  without  re- 
serve to  these  tasks.  Skilled  field  workers  serve  the 
churches  and  the  teachers  freely  to  the  extent  of 
their  ability.  Leaflet  literature,  awards,  record^ 
keeping  are  offered  without  charge. 


XIX 

RECORDS  IN  THE  MAKING  OF  A  SUC- 
CESSFUL SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

RECORDS  constitute  a  vital  factor  in  build- 
ing and  maintaining  a  Sunday  school.  Suc- 
cessful Sunday-school  leaders  lay  prime 
emphasis  on  their  records.  Department  stores  have 
been  made  x->ossible  by  systems  of  bookkeeping  which 
enable  the  general  manager  and  the  department 
heads  to  look  constantly  and  clearly  through  the 
business  of  each  department.  Departmental  Sunday 
schools  in  like  manner  depend  for  their  success  on 
records  which  reflect  conditions  throughout  the 
school. 

Accurate  records  tactfully  made  public  constitute 
a  suitable  recognition  which  must  prove  a  desirable 
award  for  faithfulness.  This  will  hold  for  the  school 
as  a  whole,  for  each  department  and  for  each  pupil. 
The  value  of  such  publicity  has  long  been  recog- 
nized in  Sunday-school  work,  and  in  recent  years, 
especially  in  connection  with  efforts  to  build  very 
large  schools,  this  publicity  of  records  has  come  to  be 
regarded  as  invaluable.  So  true  is  this  that  some 
large  Sunday  schools  are  employing  expert  stenog- 
raphers at  considerable  expense  to  keep  the  records 
and  prepare   statements    for   individual   pupils,    for 

155 


156  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

classes,  for  departments  and  for  the  whole  school. 
Pupils  who  are  at  present  studying  in  the  public 
school  or  who  have  in  past  studied  in  public  schools, 
will  readily  recognize  and  appreciate  the  educational 
value  of  accurate  records. 

Various  systems  of  records  have  been  developed, 
all  of  them  possessing  elements  of  merit.  Perhaps 
the  most  scientific  and  effective  system  yet  devised  is 
"  The  Six- Point  Record  System."  The  name  of  the 
system  gives  a  hint  of  its  nature ;  it  records  six  points 
upon  which  the  officers,  teachers  and  pupils  are 
graded,  i,  Attendance;  2,  On  Time;  3,  Bible 
Brought;  4,  Lesson  Studied;  5,  Offering;  6,  Attend- 
ance on  the  preaching  service. 

Are  not  these  six  things  essential  to  a  successful 
Sunday  school?  Primarily  we  desire  attendance; 
regular  attendance  is  necessary  if  we  are  to  accom- 
plish the  educational  and  religious  ends  which  we 
seek.  Punctuality  is  greatly  to  be  desired,  both  for 
the  immediate  work  of  the  Sunday  school  and  as  a 
measure  of  equipment  for  life's  tasks.  Ours  is  a 
Bible  school ;  what  can  be  more  meaningful  than  the 
bringing  of  the  Bible  into  the  school  sessions?  May 
not  the  substitution  of  "helps"  of  various  kinds  des- 
troy the  distinctive  element  in  our  school?  Surely 
we  desire  studied  lessons.  Sunday-school  teachers 
do  not  have  the  authority  nor  exercise  the  discipline 
which  the  public  schools  permit  and  some  gentle 
stimulus  Is  needed  to  secure  a  regular  study  of  the 
Sunday-school  lessons.  The  bringing  of  an  offer- 
ing Is  essential,  both  for  the  maintenance  of  self- 
respect  in  lending  a  proper  support  to  the  institution 


Records  157 

which  so  unselfishly  ministers  to  us,  and  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  habit  of  giving.  Attendance  on  the 
preaching  service  is,  of  course,  a  prime  essential  for 
Sunday-school  pupils.  We  must  not  grow  a  genera- 
tion which  is  careless  and  neglectful  of  the  worship- 
service  of  the  church. 

Thus  this  Six-Point  Record  System  emphasizes 
the  six  outstanding  duties  which  require  to  be 
pressed  upon  Sunday-school  scholars.  The  proper 
use  of  this  system  brings  these  six  cardinal  duties 
constantly  to  the  attention  of  the  members  of  the 
school.  It  is  difficult  to  overestimate  the  possibili- 
ties in  the  quiet  continuous  appeal  and  influence  of 
the  system  when  operated  through  the  years. 

As  devised  and  offered  by  the  Sunday- School 
Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  the  system  provides  cards,  differing  in 
colour,  to  be  used  in  keeping  the  records.  (These 
appear  at  the  end  of  this  volume.) 

Records  and  Recognitions  in  Order  to  he  Effective 
Require  the  Utmost  Care  and  Accuracy. 

The  Six-Point  Record  System  and  all  similar  sys- 
tems, in  order  to  be  educationally  effective,  must  be 
skillfully  and  accurately  handled.  Any  looseness 
which  encourages  or  permits  pupils  to  obtain  credits 
to  which  they  are  not  entitled,  must  be  positively 
harmful.  Instead  of  cultivating  valuable  life  habits, 
we  may  thus  confirm  habits  of  duplicity  which  will 
be  immeasurably  harmful.  In  the  easy-going  atmos- 
phere which  marks  the  Sunday  school  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  discipline  which  marks  the  day-school. 


158  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

pupils  may  claim  "  studied  lesson,"  when  the 
thoughtful  teacher  will  discover  that  the  claim  is 
not  well  based.  Pupils  will  sometimes  declare  their 
purpose  to  "  attend  preaching,"  thus  getting  the 
credit  due  on  this  point,  while  the  observant  teacher 
may  note  that  the  pupils  later  on  overlook  or  "  for- 
get "  their  intention  to  remain  for  the  preaching 
service.  Pupils  may  carelessly  claim  credit  for  "  on 
time  "  when  the  teacher  may  recall  that  they  came 
in  after  the  required  time.  In  all  of  these  condi- 
tions the  pupils  are  to  be  safeguarded,  gently  and 
sympathetically,  with  a  view  to  real  character-devel- 
opment. 

The  making  of  the  records  in  the  class  and  in  the 
departments  must  be  done  with  such  dispatch  as  will 
prevent  the  taking  of  undue  time  from  the  study  of 
the  Bible-lesson.  The  general  superintendent  will, 
especially  in  the  early  months  of  the  introduction  of 
the  system,  wish  to  carefully  guard  this  point.  A 
class  of  one  dozen  pupils,  marking  each  on  six  dis- 
tinct points  has  been  actually  known  to  consume 
more  than  half  of  the  time  allotted  for  the  lesson 
in  the  leisurely  making  of  the  records ! 

All  methods  of  stimulus  which  involve  recogni- 
tion and  the  appeal  to  the  desire  for  credit  must  be 
carefully  administered.  The  motives  to  which  we 
thus  appeal,  while  they  are  within  limits  legitimate 
and  entirely  proper,  are  yet  not  the  highest  motives. 
We  may  encourage  lesson-study  by  a  suitable  award 
in  the  way  of  credit  or  recognition,  but  the  wise 
teacher  will  constantly  foster  also  other  and  better 
motives  and  will   seek   to   inspire   lesson-study  by 


Records  1 59 

means  of  the  beautiful  charm  and  interest  of  the 
lessons  themselves.  We  may  for  a  time  secure 
church  attendance  by  means  of  certain  credits  given, 
but  if  we  are  vi^ise  we  will  not  rely  too  strongly  on 
this  motive,  but  will  cultivate  a  love  for  the  sanc- 
tuary which  will  make  attendance  on  the  worship- 
hour  a  voluntary  and  spontaneous  joy. 

The  fact  thus  pointed  out  that  credits  and  recog- 
nitions may  be  handled  in  a  careless  or  arbitrary 
fashion  so  as  to  produce  pretense  and  hollowness 
must  not  militate  against  their  usefulness  when 
rightly  handled  along  with  other  high  motives.  Some 
perils  are  almost  inevitably  involved  in  all  devices 
for  the  quickening  of  interest  and  the  stimulation  of 
effort.  A  good  record  system  effectively  admin- 
istered is  of  inestimable  value  in  promoting  the  best 
Sunday-school  work. 


XX 

WEEK-DAY  WORK  FOR  THE  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

IN  other  chapters  in  this  book  we  have  discussed 
various  week-day  activities.  In  order  to  direct 
special  attention  to  this  question  which  is  vital 
both  in  building  and  in  maintaining  a  large  and  ef- 
ficient Sunday  school,  we  bring  together  in  this  chap- 
ter some  special  suggestions. 

The  week-day  activities  suitable  for  the  Sunday 
school  are  of  course  many  and  varied.  We  may 
roughly  classify  them  as : 

1.  Social  activities. 

2.  Recreational  activities. 

3.  Athletics. 

4.  Social  uplift. 

5.  Class  or  Sunday-school  building. 

6.  Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools. 

Social  Activities.  It  requires  mucH  sympathy  and 
not  a  little  discernment  to  direct  the  social  activities 
of  different  groups,  especially  when  those  groups  are 
somewhat  far  removed  in  age  or  viewpoint  from 
ourselves.  In  general  it  is  safe  to  let  such  groups 
follow  largely  their  own  impulses  and  determine 
their  own  plays  and  entertainments. 

160 


Week-Day  Work  for  the  Sunday  School    16 1 

Those  who  may  wish  suggestions  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  children,  will  find  Carolyn  Sherwin 
Bailey's  "  The  Children's  Book  of  Games  and 
Parties "  most  helpful.  The  book  falls  into  two 
parts — games  and  parties.  Among  the  games  which 
Miss  Bailey  suggests  and  describes,  are  the  follow- 
ing: Ball  Games,  Games  for  the  Barn,  Games  for  a 
Walk,  Games  for  a  Rainy  Day,  Games  for  the  School 
Yard,  Fireside  Games,  Rainy  Sunday  Plays,  Games 
and  Plays  at  any  Party,  Hallowe'en  Games,  Wind 
Games.  Under  the  head  of  Parties,  she  discusses 
besides  these  Story  Parties,  A  Noah's  Ark  Party,  A 
Soap  Bubble  Party,  The  Child's  Birthday  Party,  A 
Gingerbread  Party,  and  a  Garden  Tea  Party. 

It  is,  of  course,  more  difficult  to  direct  the  social 
activities  of  young  people  and  adults.  Mr.  Walter 
M.  Wood  has  stated  five  tests  which  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
should  be  applied  to  any  contemplated  social  event. 
The  tests  may  apply  as  well  in  the  case  of  the  Sun- 
day school.  Substituting  the  Sunday  school  for  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  these  tests 
would  be : 


1.  Will  It  attract  men  and  boys  into  the  Sun- 

day-school fellowship? 

2.  Will  it  aid  the  Sunday  school  to  assimilate 

its  members  into  its  varied  activities? 

3.  Will  it  socialize  the  members  by  bringing 

different  individuals  and  groups  into  such 
contacts  as  will  increase  their  interest  in 
each  other,  reducing  their  prejudices  and 
cultivating  their  sympathies? 


l62  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

4.  Will  it  recreate  or  relieve  from  the  tedium 

and  enervating  strain  of  one's  usual  line 
of  thought  and  action? 

5.  Will  it  culture  or  grow  the  finer  sensibilities 

and  appreciations? 

Mr.  E.  C.  Knapp,  General  Secretary  of  the  Inland 
Empire  Association,  has  given  us  an  invaluable  book, 
"  The  Sunday  School  Between  Sundays."  Chap- 
ters of  special  interest  are  as  follows : 

Socials  and  Stunts,  Picnics  and  Outings,  Saturday 
Afternoon  Outings,  Parades  and  Pageants,  Athletics 
and  Playgrounds,  Gardens  and  Gardening,  Mission- 
ary Dramatics,  Children's  Parties,  Beautifying 
Grounds  and  Buildings,  Boy  Scouts  and  Camp  Fire 
Girls,  Some  Miscellaneous  Activities. 

Recreational  Activities.  Under  this  head  would 
fall  diversions  as  offered  by  the  Boy  Scouts,  The 
Pioneer  Girls,  The  Camp  Fire  Girls,  and  similar  or- 
ganizations.    See  Chapter  XL 

Athletics.  Many  churches  are  providing  play 
rooms,  gymnasiums  and  swimming  pools  in  their 
buildings,  and  especially  in  the  southern  parts  of  the 
country  where  the  bright  open  weather  tempts  to 
out-of-door  sport,  the  churches  are  providing  cro- 
quet grounds,  tennis  courts  and  other  open-air  play 
grounds. 

Social  Uplift.  Various  phases  of  social  service 
appeal  especially  to  organized  classes.  The  Organ- 
ized Class  Departments  of  the  Denominational 
Boards  or  of  the  International  Sunday-School  Asso- 
ciation will  furnish  literature  making  helpful  suggef 
tions. 


Week-Day  Work  for  the  Sunday  School    163 

Class  or  Sunday-School  Building.  Efforts  in  the 
direction  of  extension  and  enlargement  offer,  of 
course,  an  endless  variety  of  week-day  activities. 
Suggestions  are  offered  in  various  chapters  of  this 
book  and  in  the  books  which  deal  especially  with  the 
building  of  Sunday  schools. 

Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools.  In  our  congested 
cities  multitudes  of  children  play  in  the  streets  ex- 
posed to  all  kinds  of  peril  throughout  the  vacation 
season.  The  Daily  Vacation  Bible  School  has  dem- 
onstrated its  practical  value  in  assembling  these  chil- 
dren for  training  and  Bible  study.  Literature  and 
full  information  may  be  secured  from  the  Daily  Va- 
cation Bible  School  Association^  90  Bible  House, 
New  York  City. 


XXI 

WHAT  OF  SPECIAL  DAYS? 

IN  the  really  successful  Sunday  school  every 
Sunday  must  be  a  special  day.  The  secret  of 
success  lies  in  steady  and  continuous  processes 
faithfully  maintained.  The  Sunday  school  is  an  in- 
stitution which  is  both  spiritual  and  educational  in 
its  nature.  It  engages  in  serious  business.  This 
business  calls  for  sane,  continuous  and  persistent 
effort.  It  is  primarily  concerned  with  the  teaching 
of  the  Bible  and  it  succeeds  or  fails  in  proportion  as 
it  imparts  Bible  knowledge  in  ways  which  strengthen 
and  develop  Christian  character. 

The  observance  of  *'  Special  Days "  has  without 
doubt  been  overdone.  The  temptation  is  great  and 
the  tendency  is  constant  to  depend  on  special  days 
with  attractive  announcements  and  unusual  pro- 
grams for  the  stimulation  of  attendance  and  the 
maintenance  of  interest.  Certain  Sunday  schools 
have  won  the  unenviable  title  of  "  Special-Day  Sun- 
day Schools."  Some  time  ago  a  Sunday  school  in  a 
certain  city  attained  a  reputation  for  exceedingly 
large  attendance,  reports  stating  that  the  attendance 
often  reached  four  thousand,  with  the  suggestion 
that  this  was  probably  the  largest  Sunday  school  in 
the  world.     Feeling  a  special  interest  in  large  Sun- 

164 


What  of  Special  Days  *?  1 65 

day  schools,  the  author  sought  fuller  information 
with  a  view  to  visiting  the  school.  He  learned  that 
the  Sunday  school  in  question  was  a  ''  special  day 
school."  On  certain  occasions,  by  extensive  adver- 
tising, by  strenuous  promotion  methods,  by  offering 
a  specially  attractive  program,  the  school  drew  to- 
gether thousands  of  people.  It  was  stated  that  the 
superintendent,  being  a  man  of  means  and  of  great 
zeal,  freely  expended  money  and  at  times  even  gave 
cash  awards  for  the  bringing  of  certain  numbers.  It 
developed  that  ordinarily  the  attendance  averaged 
only  about  four  or  five  hundred !  This  kind  of  Sun- 
day school,  with  its  inflation  and  pretense,  makes  a 
spectacle  over  which  angels  might  well  weep.  Such 
a  school  dissipates  and  vitiates  the  efforts  of  serious 
workers  to  teach  the  Bible  and  to  promote  character- 
building  processes. 

The  Sunday  school  which  seeks  to  live  and  grow 
on  the  poor  and  variable  interest  which  may  be 
aroused  by  the  observance  of  special  days  and  by  the 
use  of  spasmo'dic  methods,  is  in  a  most  pitiable 
plight.  The  Sunday  school  which,  by  special  meth- 
ods, secures  large  occasional  attendance  which  it  can- 
not hope  permanently  to  maintain,  by  so  much  un- 
dermines real  Bible  instruction  and  brings  itself 
under  suspicion  of  faulty  methods. 

Our  Sunday  schools  have  suffered  much  by  such 
zealous  and  too-frequent  observance  of  special  days 
as  lowers  the  spiritual  tone,  interferes  with  sober  and 
continuous  Bible  study  and  caters  unduly  to  the  love 
for  the  sensational.  According  to  Mr.  Marion  Law- 
rance,  more  than  two  hundred  special  days  are  being 


l66  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

observed  by  the  Sunday  schools  of  America,  "  while 
at  least  one  hundred  of  them  have  come  into  more  or 
less  prominence."  It  is  interesting  that  an  institu- 
tion with  only  fifty-two  sessions  in  the  whole  year 
should  have  developed  a  hundred  special  days  which 
have  come  to  be  generally  recognized. 

The  word  of  caution  which  we  have  set  down  re- 
garding special  days  must  not  be  allowed  to  weigh 
against  a  sane  and  proper  observance  of  some  such 
days.  The  very  fact  that  this  idea  has  been  over- 
worked is  some  evidence  of  its  inherent  merit.  The 
All-wise  Father  has  broken  what  might  be  the  mon- 
otony of  an  unbroken  year  by  giving  us  four  more 
or  less  clearly-defined  seasons.  Our  natures  crave 
variety.  While  the  Sunday  school  is  concerned  pri- 
marily with  Bible  study,  it  yet  faces  out  in  so  many 
directions  and  touches  life  at  so  many  angles,  a 
proper  recognition  and  observance  of  special  days 
may  be  fruitful  in  many  ways. 

The  earlier  conception  and  observance  of  "  Spe- 
cial Days  "  usually  involved  the  setting  aside  of  the 
lesson  and  the  ordinary  program  for  some  special 
and  extraordinary  program.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
such  procedure  is  ever  desirable  or  justifiable. 
Gradually  we  have  come  to  recognize  that  we  may 
maintain  our  lesson  period  and  our  general  schedule 
and  yet  in  many  helpful  ways  observe  special  days. 
The  most  important  of  the  special  days,  such  as 
Christmas  and  Easter,  have  been  given  place  and 
proper  treatment  in  various  lesson  systems.  This 
makes  their  observance  natural  and  almost  inevitable. 

There  are  many  special  days  to  which  no  Sunday 


What  of  Special  Days  ?  167 

school  can  well  afford  to  be  indifferent.  Some  of 
these  come  in  the  natural  round  of  the  calendar,  as 
Christmas,  Easter,  Fourth  of  July;  others  grow  out 
of  the  needs  of  the  Sunday  school  itself,  as  Rally 
Day,  Home  Department  Day,  Cradle  Roll  Day;  yet 
others  grow  out  of  the  obligations  of  the  Sunday 
school,  as  Missionary  Day,  Denominational  Day, 
Orphanage  Day.  A  proper  observance  of  these  and 
similar  days  may  without  breaking  the  regular  Bible 
instruction,  or  disturbing  the  usual  order,  stimulate 
attendance  and  serve  important  educational  pur- 
poses. 

This  question,  like  all  others  which  concern  the 
Sunday  school,  must  be  considered  departmentally 
as  well  as  from  the  standpoint  of  the  school  as  a 
whole.  There  are  days  which  may  profitably  be  ob- 
served by  certain  departments  which  would  be  en- 
tirely meaningless  to  other  departments.  Christmas, 
for  instance,  will  mean  much  more  to  the  younger 
grades  than  to  the  grown-ups.  Decision  Day  can 
have  little  place  in  the  Cradle  Roll  Class  or  in  the 
Beginners'  Department.  Certain  days  may  well  be 
observed  in  some  of  the  departments  and  entirely 
ignored  in  others.  Certain  days  may  well  be  largely 
emphasized  in  some  departments  and  may  have  much 
less  emphasis  in  other  departments. 

Mr.  Marion  Lawrance  has  brought  us  under  obli- 
gation by  his  admirable  book,  "  Special  Days  in  the 
Sunday  School."  The  book  is  replete  with  happy 
and  stimulating  suggestions  and  is  indispensable  for 
superintendents  who  are  jealous  for  the  freshness 
and  variety  of  their  programs.    Mr.  Lawrance  well 


l68  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

insists  that  a  majority  of  special-day  celebrations 
should  be  confined  to  the  opening  service  of  the 
Sunday  school  in  order  that  the  period  of  Bible 
study  may  be  uninterrupted.  Among  other  sug- 
gestive chapter  headings,  v^^e  find  a  long  list  of  special 
days  happily  grouped  as  follows :  "  Departmental 
and  Related  Days,"  "  Anniversary  Days,"  "  Patriotic 
Days,"  "Folk  and  Fraternal  Days,"  "Educational 
Days,"  "  Missionary  and  Benevolent  Days,"  "  Mis- 
cellaneous Days,"  and  "Evangelistic  Days."  This 
book  might  well  be  in  the  hands  of  every  general  and 
departmental  superintendent. 


XXII 

STANDARDS  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

STANDARDS  have  long  been  used  to  stimulate 
Sunday-school  attendance  and  to  increase 
Sunday-school  efficiency.  Like  all  other  stim- 
ulants the  standards  must,  of  course,  be  used  skill- 
fully and  in  accordance  with  sound  educational  prin- 
ciples. We  have  become  familiar  with  standards  of 
at  least  three  kinds. 

Class  Standards. 
Departmental  Standards. 
Standards  for  the  Whole  School. 

These  standards  have  been  widely  offered  and  ex- 
ploited by  the  Sunday-school  houses.  Full  informa- 
tion concerning  the  various  standards  may  be  had 
upon  application  to  any  of  the  denominational  pub- 
lishing houses  or  the  State  Headquarters  of  the  In- 
ternational Sunday-School  Association. 

The  Sunday-School  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  has  erected  a  special 
super-standard  for  the  larger  Sunday  schools  which 
have  better  equipment.  Smaller  Sunday  schools  or 
schools  without  adequate  buildings  are  not  encour- 
aged to  undertake  to  reach  this  Advanced  Standard. 
Since  It  is  believed  to  be  the  only  standard  of  its  kind 
yet  erected,  and  especially  since  it  has  demonstrated 

169 


lyo  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

its  power  to  stimulate  and  bless  the  type  of  Sunday 
schools  which  we  are  discussing  in  these  pages,  we 
give  below  this 

ADVANCED  STANDARD 

I.  AN  ADAPTED  BUILDING 

1.  Department  and  Ci^ass  Quarters. 

The  building  shall  provide  ample  facilities  to  enable 
each  department  and  class  to  be  "  standard." 

_  (Standards  for  departments  and  classes  will  be  fur- 
nished on  request.) 

2.  BUII^DING  FACII.ITIES  FOR  MaIN   ScHOOL. 

The  building  shall  provide  adequately  for  the  assembly 
of  the  whole  school  v^^hen  desired,  as  well  as  ample  and 
convenient  quarters  for  the  library,  and  for  the  secre- 
taries. 

II.  PHYSICAL  EQUIPMENT 

3.  Equipment  eor  the  Main  Schooi,,  Departments  and 

ClyASSES. 

The  school  shall  provide  ample  physical  equipment,  in 
the  way  of  furniture,  appliances,  musical  instruments, 
etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  general  officers,  and  the  main 
school,  as  well  as  for  the  departments  and  classes,  as  re- 
quired by  the  Departmental  and  Class  Standards. 

4.  Records  and  Library. 

The  school  shall  provide  ample  supplies  and  appliances 
for  an  adequate  system  of  records,  and  an  adequate 
library.  (1)  For  General  Officers:  records  and  report 
blanks  needed  by  each  in  his  specific  work;  a  blackboard 
for  the  General  Superintendent;  (2)  for  the  General  Sec- 
retary: a  room  or  designated  space,  furnished  with  suit- 
able desk,  shelving  and  drawers,  also  the  Secretarial  sup- 
plies needed  for  the  Record  System  and  a  blackboard  for 
his  report;  (3)  there  shall  be  a  piano  and  an  ample 
supply  of  song  books;  (4)  the  Librarian  shall  have  suit- 
able desk  room,  shelving,  record  and  report  blanks  and 
serving  facilities  conveniently  located.  (.5)  The  Record 
System  shall  include:  (a)  Enrollment,  (b)  individual 
records  of  officers,  teachers  and  pupils,  (c)  class  records 


Standards  for  the  Sunday  School         171 

and  reports,  (d)  departmental  records  and  reports,  (e) 
general  records  and  reports  and  (f)  quarterly  or  monthly- 
reports  to  the  home.  (6)  The  Library  must  contain 
one-half  (J^)  as  many  bound  volumes  as  there  are  pupils 
enrolled  in  the  school,  exclusive  of  the  beginners,  pri- 
mary and  home  departments,  embracing  in  the  subjects 
an  equitable  distribution  among  Baptist  Doctrine  and 
History,  Sunday  School  and  B.  Y.  P.  U.  work,  Missions, 
Temperance,  Soul-winning,  Christian  Service  and  Stew- 
ardship, with  a  proper  proportion  of  books  for  the  pupils 
of  each  department  above  the  primary. 

IIL    DENOMINATIONAL  SUPPORT 

5.  Supporting  a  Fui,i,  Denominationai,  Program. 

The  school  shall  give  active  support  to  the  full  pro- 
gram for  benevolences,  missions,  and  Christian  educa- 
tion as  outlined  by  the  denominational  organization 
with  which  the  church  affiliates. 

6.  Ai,i,  Causes  Presented  Educationai,i.y. 

All  the  causes  fostered  by  the  denominational  organiza- 
tion, with  which  the  church  affiliates,  shall  be  presented 
annually  to  the  school  educationally,  as  well  as  for 
contributions,  as  scheduled. 

IV.    TRAINED  WORKERS 

7.  Training  oe  Generai,  Geeicers. 

All  the  general  officers  shall  hold  the  Convention 
Normal  Course  Diploma,  fifty  per  cent  (50%)  of  them 
holding  the  blue  seal,  and  there  shall  be  one  full  post- 
graduate among  the  officers  and  teachers  of  the  school. 

8.  Training  of  the  Departmentai,  Geeicers  and  Teachers. 

The  training  requirements  of  the  departmental  officers 
and  of  the  teachers  shall  be  as  indicated  in  the  depart- 
mental and  class  standards  hereinafter  provided. 

V.    STANDARD  DEPARTMENTS  AND  CLASSES 

9.  Standard  Departments. 

All  of  the  departments  of  the  school  shall  be  "  stand- 
ard "  departments  as  follows:  Cradle  Roll,  Beginners, 
Primary,  Junior,  Intermediate,  Senior,  Adult  and  Home 
departments. 

(See  department  standards  which  will  be  furnished  on 
request.) 


172  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

10.    Standard  Ci^asses. 

Four  classes  in  the  Junior  department  and  four  classes 
in  the  Intermediate  department,  two  of  boys  and  two  of 
girls  in  each,  two  classes  in  the  Senior  department,  one 
of  young  men  and  one  of  young  women,  and  one  class  in 
the  Adult  department  shall  be  "  standard." 

(See  class  standards  which  will  be  furnished  on  re- 
quest.) 

HOW  TO  ATTAIN  THE  ADVANCED  STANDARD 

The  one  comprehensive  requirement  in  the  Standard 
is  point  9,  which  declares  that  each  of  the  eight  depart- 
ments of  the  school  shall  be  "  Standard."  Schools  as- 
piring to  attain  the  Advanced  Standard  will  therefore 
seek  first  of  all  to  bring  each  department  up  to  meet  the 
Standard  erected  for  it.  While  this  is  being  done,  atten- 
tion will  be  given  to  the  various  requirements  of  the 
Standard  as  set  forth  above. 

All  Standard  awards  are  bestowed  for  the  calendar 
year  in  which  they  are  granted. 

Applications  must  be  made  anew  for  each  succeeding 
year. 


XXIII 
THE  COMBINED  SERVICE 

EXPERIMENTS  almost  without  number  have 
been  made  in  combining  the  Sunday  school 
with  the  preaching  service.  Manifestly 
something  is  seriously  wrong  with  our  long  estab- 
lished custom.  We  assemble  the  people  for  the  study 
of  the  Bible.  We  go  through  a  complete  program 
of  worship.  We  pronounce  the  benediction;  very 
likely  the  pastor  oifers  this  "  closing  prayer."  Then 
we  wonder  that  great  numbers  go  away  and  do  not 
return  later  to  the  preaching  service. 

Could  any  procedure  be  more  naive  ?  If  we  really 
wished  our  children  and  young  people  to  go  away, 
could  we  more  skillfully  encourage  them  to  do  so? 
Pastors  have  lamented,  parents  have  grieved,  teach- 
ers have  mourned,  superintendents  have  berated,  but 
what  is  more  natural  than  that  people  should  leave 
when  every  arrangement  is  made  to  that  end  and  a 
"  benediction  "  is  pronounced  in  anticipation  of  their 
leaving  if  not  in  invitation  for  them  to  take  their  de- 
parture? That  was  a  discerning  pastor  who  served 
notice  on  his  superintendent  that  he  must  never  ask 
him  to  pronounce  a  benediction  after  the  Sunday- 
school  service  and  ask  the  Lord  to  send  the  people 
away.     They  will  go  away  in   sufficient  numbers 

173 


174  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

without  being  especially  invited  to  do  so.  Surely  we 
must  find  "  a  yet  more  excellent  way." 

The  combined  service  has  long  been  put  forward 
as  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  non-attendance 
on  the  preaching  service  of  the  Sunday-school  pupils. 
It  has  not  always  proven  satisfactory.  The  habits 
which  have  grown  through  generations  cannot  lightly 
be  set  aside.  Any  innovation  in  established  methods 
of  worship  must  be  skillfully  introduced  and  wisely 
handled.  The  author  has  seen  the  combined  service 
successfully  introduced  and  has  seen  it  in  at  least 
one  instance  pass  the  experimental  stage. 

This  program  seems  to  have  met  with  favour;  all 
of  the  departments  meet  for  opening  service  in  their 
own  rooms ;  the  departments  from  the  Juniors  up  as- 
semble in  the  main  auditorium  twenty  minutes  be- 
fore the  hour  for  the  preaching  service.  The  Be- 
ginners and  Primaries  conduct  their  own  closing 
exercises  and  dismiss  from  their  department  rooms. 
When  the  Sunday  school  is  assembled  in  the  audi- 
torium reports  are  received  and  posted,  announce- 
ments are  made,  brief  worship  is  conducted.  The 
pastor  is  on  the  platform  through  this  period,  and 
without  intermission  at  the  time  for  opening  the 
morning  worship,  the  choir  begins  to  sing  the  doxol- 
ogy  and  the  pastor  takes  the  place  of  the  superin- 
tendent and  proceeds  with  the  service.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  make  either  service  shorter,  though  with 
the  presence  of  large  numbers  of  children  in  the 
preaching  service,  the  pastor  will  naturally  guard  the 
time  for  the  preaching  hour. 

Certain  permanent  and  exceedingly  gratifying  re- 


The  Combined  Service  1 75 

suits  have  been  manifest.  The  older  people  declare 
that  never  before  in  the  history  of  the  church  did  the 
children  and  young  people  attend  the  preaching  serv- 
ice in  such  numbers.  As  a  natural  consequence,  the 
auditorium  was  crowded,  chairs  being  used  in  the 
aisles.  But  there  were  results  which  could  hardly 
have  been  anticipated.  The  pastor,  cheered  and 
quickened  by  the  presence  of  many  children  and  by 
overflowing  audiences,  preached  with  such  fervour 
and  such  evangelistic  zeal  as  brought  on  a  perennial 
revival.  In  three  months  fifty-three  converts  were 
received  into  church  membership,  and  Sunday  after 
Sunday  the  great  audiences  were  stirred  and  blessed. 
Like  most  preachers  whose  congregations  consist  al- 
most wholly  of  adults,  the  pastor  had  practically 
ceased  to  take  account  of  the  children  and  rarely 
lowered  himself  to  their  plane.  With  the  presence 
of  goodly  numbers  of  children,  all  of  this  was 
changed.  It  quickly  became  apparent  that  the  pastor 
had  readjusted  his  methods  and  that  he  had  in  con- 
sequence gained  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  young 
which  he  had  not  held  before. 

There  were  yet  other  results.  The  pastor  was 
brought  into  more  vital  support  of  the  Sunday-school 
program  and  the  lines  seem  to  be  completely  obliter- 
ated between  "  the  church "  and  "  the  Sunday 
school."  All  came  to  feel  instinctively  that  the 
church  was  in  the  Sunday  school  and  the  Sunday 
school  was  in  the  church.  It  became  easy  and  natu- 
ral for  "the  board  of  deacons"  to  vote  the  rather 
large  sums  needed  for  the  Sunday  school. 

We  have  introduced  this  discussion,  not  so  much 


176  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

because  of  the  abstract  interest  in  the  question  at 
issue,  but  because  of  its  bearing  on  the  success  of  the 
Sunday  school.  The  largest  Sunday  schools  which 
we  know,  those  numbering  two  thousand  and  up- 
wards, all  seem  to  gravitate  toward  the  combined 
service.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  accurate  to  say 
that  the  adoption  of  the  combined  service  has  helped 
materially  in  their  eiforts  to  attain  their  present  nimi- 
bers  and  efficiency.  It  is  at  least  suggestive  that  suc- 
cessful Sunday-school  builders  almost  without  ex- 
ception incorporate  this  method  in  their  plans. 

We  offer  some  observations  and  suggestions  in  this 
connection. 

1.  So  long  as  the  Sunday  school  is  conducted  as 
a  complete  service  in  entire  separateness  from  the 
preaching  service,  so  long  will  we  find  large  numbers 
of  Sunday-school  pupils  leaving  when  the  Sunday 
school  is  dismissed;  so  long  will  we  find  it  difficult 
for  the  pastor  to  lend  the  fullest  pastoral  support  to 
the  Sunday  school ;  so  long  will  there  remain  the  in- 
tangible but  more  or  less  real  line  between  the  Sun- 
day school  and  the  church. 

2.  Such  readjustments  as  are  involved  in  the  iiir 
troducing  of  the  combined  service  must  require  time 
and  tact  and  patience.  It  will  require  time  for  the 
people  and  especially  the  working  forces  to  accustom 
themselves  to  the  new  order;  it  will  require  tact  on 
the  part  of  the  superintendent  and  his  associates  in 
assembling  the  school  and  creating  a  spirit  of  loyalty 
to  the  preaching  service;  it  will  require  patience  on 
the  part  of  officers  and  teachers  and  pupils  in  the 
adjustment  of  many  details. 


The  Combined  Service  177 

3.  Some  things  are  essential  to  the  success  of  the 
combined  service.  Among  these  we  may  name  punc- 
tuahty  all  the  way  round.  The  departments  must  be 
punctual  in  assembling  in  the  auditorium;  the  super- 
intendent must  be  punctual  in  conducting  and  con- 
cluding his  closing  exercises;  the  pastor  must  be 
punctual  in  opening  his  preaching  service.  A  dispo- 
sition to  lag  here  and  there  with  an  occasional  in- 
fringement on  the  time  of  the  preaching  service  will 
produce  inevitable  confusion  and  dissatisfaction. 
The  Sunday  school  should  be  assembled  in  the  audi- 
torium by  departments  iind  the  several  departments 
should  remain  seated  together  for  the  preaching  serv- 
ice. There  must  be  as  little  confusion  and  changing 
of  seats  as  possible  just  at  the  moment  when  the 
pastor  is  introducing  the  worship  service.  Certain 
space  should  be  blocked  off  for  each  department. 
Ushers  should  be  carefully  trained  and  must  be  alert 
in  seating  the  people  who  may  be  coming  in  for  the 
preaching  service. 

4.  The  meeting  of  the  problems  which  arise  in 
introducing  and  managing  the  combined  service  are 
such  as  require  firmness,  sympathy  and  initiative.  It 
is  easy  to  run  in  old  grooves  and  follow  long-estab- 
lished customs.  It  is  far  better  to  do  this  than  to 
undertake  innovations  unless  there  is  clearly  such  co- 
operative executive  resource  as  promises  a  vigorous 
and  successful  handling  of  the  problems  which  are 
sure  to  arise  when  innovations  are  made. 


XXIV 

WINNING  TO  CHRIST  IN  THE  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

BIG  Sunday  schools  have  special  perils.  The 
bending  of  energy  toward  the  securing  of 
numbers,  the  spirit  which  may  be  engen- 
dered by  the  very  fact  of  large  numbers,  these  and 
other  considerations  may  bring  peril.  The  soul-win- 
ning spirit,  the  evangelistic  effort,  must  constitute  the 
salt  which  is  to  save  and  keep  sweet  our  growing 
Sunday  schools. 

Inviting  and  bringing  the  lost  to  the  Saviour  de- 
pends rather  upon  spirit  than  method.  It  is  more  a 
question  of  atmosphere  than  of  direct  effort.  Happy 
the  workers  who  know  the  fine  art  of  creating  at- 
mospheres favourable  to  evangelism.  Once  we  have 
created  that  fine  intangible  condition  which  we  may 
term  a  favouring  atmosphere,  the  way  is  quite  open 
to  success  in  winning  the  lost. 

Only  recently  the  author  was  in  a  service  with  a 
pastor  in  which  more  than  forty  young  people  openly 
and  joyously  confessed  Jesus  as  Lord  and  Saviour. 
Patient  and  faithful  efforts,  earnest  prayers,  many 
visits,  had  prepared  the  way  for  the  special  service. 
It  was  quickly  manifest,  as  the  pastor  pressed  the 
claims  of  Christ  and  urged  an  immediate  decision, 
that  somehow  a  favourable  atmosphere  had  been  cre- 
ated. There  was  death-like  stillness;  every  eye 
seemed  riveted  on  the  preacher  as  he  spoke.  With- 
out personal  approach  or  individual  persuasion  in 

178 


Winning  to  Christ  in  the  Sunday  School     179 

the  compelling  atmosphere  which  had  been  created, 
the  young  people  quietly  and  solemnly  yielded  their 
hearts  in  surrender  to  the  Lord  Jesus  and  publicly 
confessed  Him  as  Saviour.  Souls  cannot  be  saved  in 
the  midst  of  hurry  and  noise  and  confusion.  Souls 
cannot  be  won  to  Christ  in  an  irreverent  atmosphere. 

Some  one  tells  of  a  woman  who  spent  a  season  in 
a  home  where  she  had  been  hitherto  a  stranger. 
When  she  was  leaving  the  house,  standing  on  the 
threshold,  she  said  to  her  hostess,  "  I  do  not  know 
what  it  is ;  I  cannot  define  it ;  but  something  in  your 
home,  something  about  you,  has  made  me  think 
about  Jesus.  When  I  came  to  your  home,  I  was 
drifting  and  indifferent ;  I  had  not  been  in  your  home 
more  than  a  few  days  until  I  felt  a  strange  tugging  at 
my  heart  strings;  a  deep  sense  of  my  unworthiness 
possessed  me;  to  make  a  long  story  short,  I  got  out 
my  long-neglected  Bible  and  went  down  on  my  knees 
and  gave  myself  anew  to  God  and  His  service.  I  do 
not  know  what  it  is,  I  cannot  define  it,  but  some- 
thing about  you  made  me  want  to  be  good."  We 
know  what  that  strange  something  was;  it  was  the 
fine  indefinable  atmosphere  which  certain  devout 
saints  create  about  themselves. 

A  young  farmer  wooed  and  won  a  beautiful  and 
intelligent  young  Hebrew  woman  and  brought  her  to 
the  family  home.  A  few  weeks  later,  this  young 
woman  astonished  the  whole  countryside  by  openly 
confessing  Christ  and  asking  to  be  baptized  into  the 
near-by  country  church.  Telling  the  story  of  it  to 
a  friend,  she  said,  "  I  do  not  quite  understand  it  my- 
self.   From  childhood  I  was  grounded  in  the  faith 


l8o  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

of  my  fathers.  But  something  about  this  home,  I 
cannot  tell  what  it  was,  impressed  me  and  created  a 
sense  of  lack.  They  never  talked  to  me  about  their 
Messiah — I  should  have  resented  it  if  they  had — ^but 
their  quiet  demeanour,  their  beautiful  reverence, 
their  simple  prayers  at  the  table  and  at  the  family 
altar,  strangely  affected  me.  One  day  when  I  was 
alone  I  took  out  my  Hebrew  Bible  and  knelt  before 
my  Hebrew  God  and  I  said,  *  Oh,  God  of  my  fa- 
thers, if  thou  art  the  God  and  Father  of  this  Lord 
Jesus,  if  He  is  the  promised  Messiah,  I  want  to 
know  it.*  Light  dawned;  I  saw  and  believed  that 
Jesus  was  the  Son  of  the  Living  God."  What  was 
it?  Atmosphere,  that  wonderful  irresistible  some- 
thing which  some  individuals  and  some  churches 
have  a  way  of  creating  about  themselves. 

In  winning  the  lost,  it  will  help  us  to  observe  the 
y  departmental  lines.  We  will  wish  to  do  our  evan- 
gelistic work,  as  we  do  our  teaching  work,  by  de- 
partments. The  advantages  of  departmentization 
have  been  emphasized  many  times  over.  These  ad- 
vantages are  many  and  great;  one  is  led  to  wonder 
whether  the  greatest  of  them  all  is  not  the  contribu- 
tion which  is  thus  made  to  evangelism.  The  workers 
'  in  each  department  should  be  departmentally  trained 
for  this  high  task.  The  pastor  or  superintendent,  or 
both,  will  wish  to  deal  with  each  department  accord- 
ing to  its  nature  and  its  needs.  The  word  of  instruc- 
tion, the  prayer,  the  plea,  will  be  adapted  to  the  age 
and  development  in  each  department.  Pastors  m 
wide  circles  bear  glad  witness  to  the  blessings  which 
come  from  this  departmentizing  of  evangelistic  ef- 


Winning  to  Christ  in  the  Sunday  School     18 1 

fort.     Each  department  can  be  skillfully  managed 
with  a  view  to  the  best  spiritual  fruitage. 

By  ministry  to  social  instincts  we  may  pave  the 
way  for  soul-winning.  During  the  thirty  years  in 
which  Mr.  Frank  L.  Brown  was  superintendent  of 
the  Bushwick  Avenue  Methodist  Sunday  School  in 
Brooklyn,  three  thousand  young  people  were  led  to 
accept  and  confess  Christ  as  Saviour.  We  get  inter- 
esting light  on  this  remarkable  record  when  we  read 
from  Mr.  Brown's  own  pen  the  following  story: 
"  When  I  had  a  class  of  fourteen-year-old  boys, 
years  ago,  I  made  it  a  point  to  have  them  once  a 
month  at  my  home  for  some  eats  and  games.  One 
night  the  boys  were  playing  a  game  of  rolling 
big  agates  on  the  parlour  carpet,  these  agates 
stopping  as  near  as  possible  to  a  mark.  In  their 
interest  they  forgot  the  carpet  and  dug  big 
ridges  in  it  with  their  shoe  tips.  The  next  morn- 
ing Mrs.  Brown,  then  a  young  bride,  came  down 
with  me  to  the  parlour :  *  Oh,  Frank,  my  car- 
pet, my  carpet  ? '  *  Yes,  my  dear,  but  my  boys,  my 
boys !  I  think  we've  got  the  boys ! '  Twenty-five 
years  after,  a  popular  judge  asked  me  to  sit  beside 
him  on  the  bench  while  he  sentenced  the  young  pris- 
oners. Always  his  first  question  was :  *  Did  you  go 
to  Sunday  school?  Why  did  you  leave  it?  Why 
did  you  get  away  from  the  influence  of  your  teacher? 
If  I  give  you  another  chance,  will  you  go  back  to 
your  teacher  and  to  the  school  ? '  He  told  me  that 
rarely  did  the  boys  come  before  him  again  after  that 
advice.  And  later  he  introduced  me  to  a  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  as  his  old  Sunday-school  teacher. 


l82  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

He  was  one  of  those  boys  who  dug  up  our  parlour 
carpet  years  before.  And  I  said,  *  What's  a  mile  of 
carpet  to  a  yard  or  two  of  boy? 

Careful  records  should  be  kept  with  a  view  to 
evangelism. 

Back  in  the  days  when  he  was  a  pastor  in  Texas, 
the  author  was  permitted  to  lead  his  people  in  a 
soul-winning  campaign  which  based  itself  largely 
upon  a  careful  record  of  the  spiritual  condition  of 
the  members  of  the  Sunday  school.  These  records 
were  made  by  departments.  The  teachers  were 
urged  to  visit  the  pupils  and  interview  them  person- 
ally, partly  with  a  view  to  securing  accurate  infor- 
mation and  partly  in  order  to  give  notice  in  many 
circles  of  the  evangelistic  efforts  which  were  pro- 
posed. Special  cards  were  prepared  for  this  purpose 
as  follows: 


INFORMATION  CARD 

To  be  Filled  Out  by  the  Teacher  After  a  Visit  to  the  Home. 
Form  For  Those  Not  Church  Members. 

Name 

Address 

Grade  and  Department  ? 

Regular   Church  Attendant  ? 

Ever   made   profession  ?       

Any  evidence  of  interest  ? 

Religious  condition  of  parents  ? 

(i)  Father.     Is  he  a  church  member  ? 

Where  ?  .    .        

(2)  Mother.     Is  she  a  church  member  ? 

Where  ? 

Add  remarks,  if  desired,  on  other  side  of  this  card, 

,  Teacher. 

Date 


Winning  to  Christ  in  the  Sunday  School     183 

When  this  information  had  been  secured,  it  was 
placed  before  the  Workers'  Council.  To  the  Junior 
workers,  this  statement  was  made :  "  Of  our  seventy- 
Juniors,  twenty-six  are  behevers,  having  confessed 
Christ;  forty- four,  their  names  and  addresses  being 
on  these  cards,  are  not  saved." 

To  the  Intermediate  Workers,  announcement  was 
made  thus :  "  We  have  thirty-eight  in  your  depart- 
ment who  have  confessed  Christ;  thirty-six  Interme- 
diate boys  and  girls  are  yet  unsaved;  their  names  and 
addresses  are  recorded  on  these  cards." 

Similar  announcement  was  made  to  the  workers  in 
the  Senior  and  Adult  Departments.  In  the  entire 
school  there  were  ninety-nine  pupils,  from  the  Junior 
age  up,  who  could  make  no  claim  to  the  salvation 
which  comes  through  Jesus  Christ.  All  vagueness 
was  dispelled;  each  department  knew  the  names  and 
addresses  of  its  members  who  were  lost.  The  task 
of  winning  them  to  Christ  immediately  assumed  a 
definiteness  and  offered  a  challenge  which  had  not 
been  felt  before.  Copies  of  the  cards  were  made  and 
each  teacher  was  given  a  full  record  of  the  unsaved 
in  his  class.  All  went  into  a  special  campaign,  work- 
ing together,  by  personal  approach,  by  appeals  from 
the  platform,  in  the  Sunday  school  and  preaching 
services,  for  the  winning  of  the  ninety-nine  whose 
names  were  listed.  From  week  to  week  the  cards 
were  checked  up  and  those  who  confessed  Christ 
were  taken  from  the  list  of  the  unconverted  and 
added  to  the  list  of  the  saved.  At  the  end  of  three 
months,  without  any  special  meetings,  it  was  found 
that  fifty-five  had  been  baptized. 


184  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

In  order  to  secure  a  definite  committal  to  seek  the 
Lord,  the  unconverted  were  asked  to  sign  the  follow- 
ing card: 


SEEKING  JESUS 

Knowing  myself  to  be  a  sinner  in  need  of  a  Saviour,  I  desire 
to  seek  the  Lord  and  become  a  Christian.  I  ask  the  prayers 
of  the  church  that  I  may  be  saved. 

Name 

Grade  (or  age) 

Address 

For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.     (John  3  :  16.) 


In  order  to  keep  accurate  information  and  also  to 
send  the  announcement  to  the  home,  pupils  who  ac- 
cepted Qirist  were  asked  to  sign  in  duplicate  the  fol- 
lowing card,  one  copy  being  kept  by  the  pastor,  the 
other  being  taken  to  the  parents : 


CONFESSION  CARD 

As  a  sinner  lost  and  helpless,  I  take  Jesus  to  be  my  Saviour 
from  sin.  I  love  Him  and  trust  Him  as  my  Saviour  and  Lord. 
It  is  my  desire  to  be  baptized  in  His  name  and  it  is  my  pur- 
pose to  obey  and  serve  Him. 

Name , 

Grade  (or  age) 

Address 

As  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become 
the  Sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name. 

(John  I ;  12.) 


Winning  to  Christ  in  the  Sunday  School     185 

References: 

With  Christ  After  the  Lost L.  R.  Scarborough 

Winning  to  Christ — A  Study  in  EvangeHsm, 

P.  E.  Burroughs 
The  Sunday  School  as  a  Soul  Winner, 

J.  L.  Hurlbut 

Passion   for   Souls Jowett 

Spiritual  Life  in  the  Sunday  School Chapman 

The  Child  for  Christ McKinney 

Pastoral  and  Personal  Evangelism Goodsell 

How  Can  I  Lead  My  Pupils  to  Christ? Pell 

Early  Conversion  of  Sunday-School  Scholars, 

Schauffler 
Bringing  the  Pupil  to  a  Decision  for  Christ. .  .Mabie 

Method  in  Soul  Winning Mabie 

Decision  Day  in  the  Sunday  School Chapman 

A  Soul-Saving  Sunday  School Wells 

Individual  Work  for  Individuals Trumbull 

Catching  Men  Alive Trumbull 

The  Personal  Worker's  Guide Chapman 

Studies  for  Personal  Workers Johnston 

How  to  Bring  Men  to  Christ Torrey 

The  Helping  Hand Hamilton 


APPENDIX 

Suggested  Questions 

Chapter  I. 

1.  Discuss  some  elements  in  a  successful  Sunday 
school. 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the  "possibilities"  of  a 
Sunday  school? 

3.  If  choice  must  be  made  between  the  "  educa- 
tor "  type  of  superintendent  and  the  "  promoter  ** 
type,  as  set  forth  in  this  chapter,  which  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred ?    Why  ? 

4.  Discuss  the  "  one  unanswerable  argument "  in 
favour  of  the  largest  Sunday  school  possible. 

5.  Name  some  very  large  Sunday  schools  of 
which  you  chance  to  know. 

Chapter  II. 

1.  Discuss  and  justify  the  statement  that  efficient 
Sunday  schools  grow  great  churches. 

2.  Show  how  the  Sunday  school  offers  a  complete 
and  effective  method  of  church  organization. 

3.  Show  the  part  which  the  Sunday  school  plays 
in  promoting  Bible  Study. 

4.  Discuss  the  Sunday  school  as  a  means  of  en- 
listing large  numbers  in  useful  service  and  indicate 
the  advantage  of  such  enlistment. 

186 


Appendix  187 

5.  What  bearing  does  the  Sunday  school  have  on 
attendance  at  the  preaching  service? 

6.  What  of  the  Sunday  school  as  an  evangelistic 
agency  ? 

Chapter  III. 

1.  What  is  the  outstanding  feature  of  present- 
day  Sunday-school  organization? 

2.  Indicate  the   department  lines   in  the  system 
earlier  adopted  for  Sunday-school  organization. 

3.  What   department  lines  have  been  more  re- 
cently adopted? 

4.  Which    of    these    schemes    do    you    prefer? 
Why? 

5.  Note  some  barriers  to  the  departmentization 
of  the  Sunday  school. 

6.  What  is  the  generally  accepted  basis  of  classi- 
fication ? 

7.  What  as  to  the  number  in  the  classes  ? 

8.  What  relative  numbers  are  to  be  expected  in 
the  various  departments? 

9.  When  would  it  seem  desirable  to   subdivide 
the  departments? 

Chapter  IF. 

1.  Discuss  briefly  the  methods  proposed  for  se- 
curing new  workers  for  the  Sunday  school. 

2.  What  is  suggested  as  the  best  method? 

Chapter  V. 
I.     How   far   does   your   judgment   approve   the 


l88  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

statement  concerning  the  outstanding  barrier  to  the 
growth  of  our  Sunday  schools  ? 

2.  Have  we  the  moral  right  to  ask  people  to 
attend  our  Sunday  school  where  we  have  not  suitable 
room  for  them? 

3.  What  allowance  shall  be  made  for  pupils 
throughout  the  Sunday  school  ? 

4.  Show  what  space  should  be  allowed  for  each 
of  the  departments  in  a  school  of  300. 

5.  Why  should  department  rooms  be  sound- 
proof? 

6.  In  what  departments  are  class  rooms  most 
desirable  ? 

7.  Why  should  the  auditorium  be  used  for  gen- 
eral assemblies  of  the  Sunday  school? 

8.  Are  separate  Sunday-school  buildings  desir- 
able?   Why? 

9.  Indicate  some  special  rooms  which  should  be 
provided. 

Chapter  VL 

1.  Discuss  briefly  the  danger  that  new  buildings 
will  be  planned  on  an  inadequate  scale. 

2.  What  of  the  danger  of  making  financial  con- 
siderations primary? 

3.  Show  how  peril  lies  in  the  fact  that  a  "  sharp 
turn  "  has  been  made  In  Sunday-school  organization. 

4.  Why  may  the  architect  himself  constitute  a 
possible  barrier  in  the  way  of  securing  what  we 
need? 

5.  Show  how  a  spirit  of  haste  may  imperil  the 
building  project. 


Appendix  189 

Chapter  VII. 

1.  Give  schedule  of  probable  building  require- 
ments for  a  building  which  must  offer  800  seatings 
in  the  auditorium  and  provide  for  1,000  in  the  Sun- 
day school. 

2.  Reproduce  in  brief  outline  the  standard  for 
church  and  Sunday-school  buildings. 

3.  Indicate  changes,  if  any,  which  you  would 
suggest  in  this  Standard. 

Chapter  VIII. 

1.  Name  the  three  best  Sunday-school  buildings 
which  you  have  personally  inspected. 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the  "  unified  type  "  of  build- 
ing? 

Chapter  IX, 

1.  What  of  the  need  for  trained  church  architects 
in  the  remodeling  of  church  buildings? 

2.  Why  should  we  feel  special  interest  in  the  one- 
room  church  building? 

3.  Indicate  a  half  dozen  methods  of  remodeling 
the  one-room  building. 

Chapter  X. 

1.  Discuss  the  types  of  seating  required  for  the 
Sunday  school. 

2.  What  as  to  Sunday-school  cabinets? 

3.  Which  of  the  tables  suggested  most  commends 
itself?    Why? 


190  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

Chapter  XL 

1.  Give  in  outline  the  plan  proposed  for  building 
a  Sunday  school. 

2.  Outline  the  essential  steps  in  taking  a  Sunday- 
school  census. 

3.  Show  how  a  large  Sunday  school  may  be  built 
first  on  paper  and  then  made  a  reality. 

Chapter  XII. 

1.  Discuss  briefly  the  six  suggestions  set  forth  in 
this  chapter. 

2.  Outline  the  plan  suggested  for  building  a  large 
down-town  class. 

Chapter  XIII. 

1.  What  is  your  own  estimate  of  the  value  of 
outside  organizations,  such  as  are  discussed  in  this 
chapter,  in  the  building  of  a  Sunday  school  ? 

2.  Name  the  organizations  which  you  consider 
most  helpful. 

3.  Discuss  the  organized  class  as  a  means  of 
building  the  Sunday  school. 

Chapter  XIV, 

1.  Why  should  social  life  be  departmentized  ? 

2.  What  of  the  relative  value  of  social  and  recre- 
ational activities? 

3.  Show  how  the  church  building  may  be  adapted 
to  meet  social  needs. 

4.  Name  some  books  which  may  be  helpful  in 
guiding  social  life. 


Appendix  191 

Chapter  XV. 

1.  Indicate  some  difficulties  as  regards  the  gym- 
nasium and  the  swimming  pool. 

2.  What  is  your  own  estimate  of  the  value  of 
these  recreations  in  church  life? 

Chapter  XVI. 

1.  State  some  methods  of  advertising  a  Sunday 
school. 

2.  What  is  your  own  estimate  of  the  propriety 
and  value  of  advertising  the  Sunday  school  ? 

Chapter  XVIL 

1.  Why  the  lunch  in  connection  with  a  teachers* 
meeting  ? 

2.  State  briefly  the  angle  method  of  conducting  a 
teachers'  meeting. 

Chapter  XVIII . 

Indicate  at  least  four  reasons  why  teachers  must 
be  trained. 

Chapter  XIX. 

1.  What  of  the  value  of  records  in  the  Sunday 
school  ? 

2.  What  six  points  are  stressed  in  the  Six-Point 
Record  System? 

3.  Why  the  necessity  for  care  and  accuracy  in 
the  keeping  of  records  ? 

Chapter  XX. 

I.    What  are  some  week-day  activities  in  which 
the  Sunday  school  may  engage? 


192  A  Successful  Sunday  School 

2.  What  are  some  tests  for  social  activities  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Walter  M.  Wood? 

3.  Which  of  these  proposed  activities  impresses 
you  as  most  needed  and  most  practically  helpful  ? 

Chapter  XXL 

1.  Discuss  the  value  of  special  days. 

2.  Indicate  some  perils  which  arise  in  connection 
with  special  days. 

Chapter  XXII . 

1.  What  is  your  own  estimate  of  the  value  of 
standards  in  Sunday-school  work? 

2.  What  possible  danger  do  we  face  in  connec- 
tion with  standards? 

Chapter  XXIIL 

1.  State  some  considerations  which  favour  the 
*'  combined  service." 

2.  Indicate  some  essentials  to  success  in  handling 
the  combined  course. 

Chapter  XXIV, 

1.  What  of  the  meaning  of   "  atmosphere "  in 
soul-winning  ? 

2.  Why  observe  departmental  lines  in  soul-win- 
ning? 

3.  What  of  the  value  of  records  in  soul- winning? 


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